Ichihime Week
by jylener22
Summary: One-shots inspired by prompts given by fivelivesonelove on Tumblr.
1. Medieval AU

Pre-Author's** Note:**

_I don't normally do this, but I figured I probably should just in case. For most of this story, I'm not going to use names. I do have a reason for it and I'll explain more at the end, but for the time being I do hope you enjoy the story. Now, off you go. :)_

Alone, a young woman sits perfectly still, staring absentmindedly out the window of her room. She is dressed simply, yet elegantly, in a long, sea-green gown with sleeves that reach her elbows and then fall nearly to the floor when she stands. Her long hair has been braided and nearly reaches her waist while a simple gold circlet is settled on top of her head.

While her pose and attitude are perfectly picturesque, it is the young woman's eyes that truly attract any onlooker's attention. Soft and gray, they gaze out at the world in a melancholy way that could melt even the coldest heart.

The young woman's eyes become alert when a sudden knock echoes throughout the room. Making as if to rise and open the door, the young woman stops herself suddenly and sits rather awkwardly on the edge of the window seat.

"Please come in," the young woman says with slight hesitation.

The door opens and two young women step inside. Both have jet black hair and nearly matching knowing grins on their faces.

The first young woman with violet eyes speaks up first, saying, "Much better, Your Highness. You didn't get up this time."

Returning the young woman's grin with a sheepish one of her own, the princess responds with, "No, I didn't. But it just doesn't feel right."

Rolling her eyes, the second young woman with longer, more unruly hair and piercing brown eyes says, "Well, doesn't matter if it feels right to you or not. You're a princess who's about to get married to the richest and most prosperous king in all Britain. There are certain rules that only royalty have to follow, so you'd better learn to follow them."

Hanging her head, the princess says dejectedly, "I'll never be able to live up to everyone's expectations. What could the king possibly have been thinking when he agreed to marry me?"

The first handmaiden quickly walks across the room to kneel in front of the princess and turn her chin up until their eyes meet so that she can say in a firm but gentle tone, "You're not alone in this, Your Highness. We'll be there to support you every step of the way. Whether or not this king grows to love you or not, I will love and serve you faithfully."

With a softer smirk, the second handmaiden says affectionately, "Same goes for me, Your Highness."

Smiling brilliantly at her two life-long companions and friends, the princess says in a much cheerier tone, "Thank you."

About a month later, the King of All England stands properly erect on the battlements of his castle as he gazes across the land in search of his fiancée's entourage. Beside the king stands his faithful companion and friend since childhood, silently keeping vigil beside his liege lord.

Blowing out an irritated sigh, the king asks of no one in particular, "Why exactly did I agree to this again? Whose ridiculous idea was it that I should get married?"

Clenching his hands into fists and striking them against the stones, the king states emphatically, "Well, whoever arranged this marriage had better hope that she isn't some empty-headed, prattling, nosy, nonsensical, foolish, spotted, selfish, greedy, money-grubbing…did I mention empty-headed already?"

The tall, brown haired young man standing next to the king gives a grunt in affirmation a split-second before the king says forcefully, "All in all, she'd better be someone who can either help me run this kingdom properly or who has just enough sense to stay out of my way most of the time."

In the lapse of silence after this remark, king's friend asks in a low, rumbling tone, "Would you really be satisfied with that kind of marriage, Your Majesty?"

The king remains silent a while longer before he replies in a more subdued voice, "Of course I wouldn't be completely satisfied with that kind of marriage, but I feel that I should be prepared for the worst."

Kneading his brow in a weary manner, the king says slowly, "Being in charge of an entire nation who until only recently were constantly fighting amongst themselves is absolutely exhausting and there is nothing I want more than for my future wife to be competent enough to help me in matters of state. But at this point, I feel that is too much to hope for."

Looking at his friend from underneath his hand, the king asks, "Did you hear about what happened when the Earl of Sussex decided to get married?" after his friend shakes his head in the negative, the king goes on, "Well, the Earl thought he was marrying a young, beautiful, frugal and thoroughly educated maiden and he ended up with a Countess who is five or six years his senior, rather pretty in a prim sort of way, spends his money like water on jewels and new gowns and has been properly educated to keep house but simply refuses to do so as it is far too taxing on her figure and complexion."

The tall, quiet young man makes a rumbling sound deep in his chest, which causes the king to grin appreciatively as he says, "Well, at least the Countess will never put the Earl to shame in public when it comes to her appearance."

Any further conversation is halted when the king's friend points out over the battlements and says quickly, "Over there, Sire."

The king needs no second prompting to turn his gaze in the direction indicated and to say in an almost breathless tone, "Well, here goes nothing."

A little over an hour later, the princess's traveling party arrives inside the castle walls, but the engaged couple do not set eyes on one another until almost two hours have passed in order to give the travelers time to clean up and settle in properly. When everyone arrives together in the Great Hall before the feast that is held to celebrate the princess's arrival as well as the upcoming marriage, there is lots of chatter and cheering from the onlookers as they watch the young royal couple take in each other's appearance for the first time.

The princess seems to be hard pressed to keep her hands gently clasped in front of her in the proper royal fashion rather than nervously twisting the folds of her scarlet gown with gold trimming along the bodice and across the skirt. The king, on the other hand, is thunder-struck but doesn't seem to realize it as his mouth is gaping slightly.

Finally snapping out of his stupor, the king steps forward and silently holds out his hand to his fiancée, which she takes with a shy smile. As the king leads his future queen to the dais, everyone in the banquet hall stops talking and stand waiting for the king to help the princess into her seat before they break out once again into an almost deafening cheer of approval.

Less than a month later, the soft gray eyes of the newly made queen look steadily into the deep blue eyes of the king as they exchange their marriage vows. Once the service is over, the king makes a split-second decision to show his devotion and affection towards his new bride as he bends over her delicate hands to kiss them. With a soft gasp of surprise, the young queen frees one of her hands to smooth back and jet black locks obscuring the king's face so that she can lean forward and plant a soft kiss on her husband's cheek. All witnesses break into rousing shouts and cheers of admiration.

Another year or so passes as the royal couple settle down to married life while the English nation continues to thrive under their combined rule. Then, with the arrival of one man, everything is turned on its head.

At a tournament held honoring the second anniversary of the king and queen, a knight arrives who is able to defeat even the most seasoned warrior with apparent ease. Once he is declared Tournament Champion, the knight takes off his helm and reveals a shocking head of bright orange locks that fall down in an unruly manner across his forehead. Despite the fact that his face and hair are nearly drenched with sweat from his exertions and the heat of the day, the knight's expression shows no signs of fatigue. His brows draw together slightly in a half-scowl, but his dark brown eyes mostly convey a kind of resigned boredom as he accepts his prize from the hand of the queen herself.

For her part, the queen quickly retreats from the knight after giving him the tournament prize and spends the rest of the time trying to keep her gaze from drifting over to the tall, handsome and seemingly unapproachable knight.

Events come to a head when the queen is unexpectedly abducted by a group who wish to overthrow the king. Reluctantly adhering to the advice of his counsel, the king does not go out to seek the queen himself, but instead sends out his best knights to track down and rescue her.

After weeks of searching, the king's tall, silent companion and the Tournament Champion find the place where the queen is held captive. Together, they take out the guards posted outside and make their way silently through the halls until they reach the queen's prison.

Once the door to her prison is open, the queen looks up a blank expression that quickly switches to joy as she recognizes the two men before her but then just as swiftly is filled with horror as she rushes forward crying, "Look out!"

The two knights barely have enough time to turn and raise their weapons before they are forced to fight for their lives. The desperate struggle seems to last an eternity until, at last, the final guard is defeated and the trio begin running down the halls in a dead sprint. As they run, the queen's intuition tells her to act swiftly and so she instinctively throws all her weight against the Tournament Champion and successfully manages to catch him off guard and send them both crashing to the ground. Just as the fallen knight manages to turn over so that he can berate the queen for being clumsy, three arrows whoosh over their heads and bury themselves in the ground not three feet in front of the fallen pair.

Not having time to say anything at the moment, the knight pushes himself off the ground and starts to pull the queen along with him so they can continue running. However, the knight realizes something is wrong instantly when the queen can only manage a kind of flopping movement before collapsing to the ground again. Without another thought, the knight scoops the queen into his arms and forces his legs to run as fast as he can towards the waiting horses. When the trio deems it safe enough to rest for a short time before continuing on, the knight discovers that the queen has twisted her ankle rather severely.

Carrying the queen over to a fallen log, the knight sets the queen down, fetches her some materials to bind up her ankle with and then sits down on the opposite side of the log to allow her some privacy as she tends to her ankle but so that he can also say something that he had wanted to for a while during their ride.

Taking out his dagger and absentmindedly cleaning it, the knight asks, "So, did they hurt you at all?"

Pausing momentarily, the queen turns her head to look at the knight as she says softly, "No, they didn't."

"Well, I guess that's something at least."

Turning her attention back to her ankle, the queen gives a small wince of pain before she says evenly, "Thank you for rescuing me."

Giving a snort of laughter, the knight replies, "Well, you saved my life back there," his brow furrows into his usual scowl as he says, "and you got hurt because of it."

Understanding what the knight is going with his statement, the queen cuts him off, saying kindly, "Let's just say that we saved each other back there."

From his place by the horses, the king's old friend looks at the knight and the queen with an expression of mixed emotions playing across his features. For the moment, the young man decides to keep what he has witnessed this night to himself, for why cause undue distress, hardship or heartache for either the king or queen at this point. Later, he might come to regret his decision, but for the moment, the only thing between the knight and the queen is the log that physically separates them.

The queen's return to the castle is highly celebrated throughout the land for nearly a fortnight and the two knights responsible for her safe passage are hailed as the greatest heroes England has ever seen. To all who observe the royal couple, they see that the king is overjoyed to have his beloved wife restored safe and sound while the queen quietly allows the king and her faithful handmaidens to fuss over her from dawn until dusk. As for the two knights, both graciously accept all compliments and congratulations bestowed upon them while quietly doing their everyday duties. To those with keen eyes, if they cared to look, they would also see the queen and knight casting their gaze over the other rather furtively every so often. And the more they look at one another, the more they feel themselves drawn towards the other.

As the weeks continue to pass, life seems to go on the same way it always has with the king and queen ruling over England and beginning to make contact with other countries. However, soon it is not only the tall, quiet knight who notices the change in behavior between the queen and the scowling knight.

One morning, as they are helping the queen get ready for the day, the violet-eyed handmaiden asks, "Your Highness, is there anything you would like to share with us? About what happened when you were abducted?"

Knowing exactly what is being asked of her, the queen takes a moment to collect her thoughts as her handmaidens brush out and arrange her long, auburn locks before she says, "After the knights saved me, we rode for most of the night. We only stopped for a short while to let the horses rest."

Seeing that her other handmaiden is about to speak, the queen continues quickly, "But nothing happened then. We talked for about a minute, but that was it."

Exchanging knowing looks between them, the first handmaiden lays her hand on the queen's shoulder as she says quietly, "Your Highness, we both promised that we would support you in your new life no matter what, but…"

The first handmaiden looks to the other for help, so the second handmaiden says in a half-hesitant, half-firm voice, "No matter what you might feel for this handsome and noble young knight, you vowed to remain faithful to your husband. Faithful to him not only in body, but in mind and spirit as well."

Realizing the point her long-time friends were making, the queen lowers her head briefly before raising her chin and saying in a heartbreakingly resolute tone, "All right. Will you two help me find a way to talk to him?"

That night, the queen and her two friends make their way out into the castle gardens where they find the scowling knight waiting. The queen leaves her handmaidens within sight but out of earshot and approaches the man she has grown to adulterously love.

Straightening up to his full height, the knight asks, "What is it, Your Highness? Your attendant said you had something important to tell me."

When the queen doesn't answer right away, the knight bends down slightly to try to see the queen's face which she has turned away and hidden with the hood of her cloak, so he tries again, "Is something the matter, Your Highness? What do you need me to do?"

Without looking at him, the queen asks in a barely steady voice, "Would you really do anything I ask of you?"

Taken aback by the question, the knight says without hesitation, "Of course I would. You have only to ask."

Turning and walking a few paces away, the queen says in a halting voice, "I…I need you to…to…" after a deep breath, she says emphatically, "I need you to go away."

Completely dumbfounded, the knight repeats, "Go away?"

Nodding her head, the queen says, "Yes, and never come back."

After about a minute, the knight clenches and unclenches his fists several times before he says, "All right, I'll go away," as the queen's body seems to relax with relief, the knight goes on, "only if you can say that again to my face."

Another period of silence between them falls before the queen says in a barely audible voice, "Please don't ask me that. I…I can't do that."

Taking a step forward, the knight presses, "Why not? You're asking me to do something that is going to tear my heart and soul. I'm willing to endure that pain as long as I know I'm not the only one."

Making as if to turn, the queen freezes with her arms wrapped around herself, trying to stay in place as she responds, "What if I were to tell you that…that…that…" a few soft sniffles and then the queen goes on, "…that asking you to go away feels like I'm slowly ripping my heart out of my chest and squeezing every bit of life and happiness out of it."

With a few more steps, the knight is within arm's reach of the queen as he says slowly, "Turn around. Look me in the eyes."

The queen hesitates for a split second before turning and dashing back towards her friends as she cries, "No! I can't!"

As when dealing with wild animals, the worst thing one can do, most of the time, is to run away. Instinctively, as the queen ran by, the knight reaches out and forcefully turns her around to face him. The knight and queen lock gazes as her hood flies off and he sees that her beautiful face is completely covered with tearstains. Something within him ignites and before he can stop himself, the knight is kissing the queen long and hard. At first, she can only stand there in shock, before her brain begins to work again and she struggles to free herself from the knight's strong grasp.

Finally, the queen pulls away far enough to gasp out brokenly, "Let me go. Oh, please, let me go. I can't…I can't…"

The knight is only able to hold onto the queen a moment or two longer before the two handmaidens wrench her away from his arms.

The shorter one with violet eyes gives him a venomous glare as she grinds out, "What do you think you're doing? It's not her fault that she fell in love with you after she got married, but here she's trying to remain faithful to her husband and you…you…you act like this! Like an animal!"

As the full realization of what he has just done begins to sink in, the knight feels his knees collide with the ground moments before he manages to say, "I'm sorry."

The knight's gaze is once again drawn towards the queen's tear-stained face and his heart clenches as he sees the damage he has done, but all he can manage is to repeat, "I'm sorry."

Before anyone can say another word, the small group is suddenly surrounded by the castle guards. Everyone is far too shocked to say anything at first, which gives the captain of the guard enough time to march over to the queen.

"My Queen, it is my sworn duty to apprehend you and take you before the king immediately. Will you come willingly or not?"

Surging forward, the knight declares, "The queen has done nothing wrong! I am to blame! Take me!"

Turning and giving the knight a smug grin, the captain says in a self-satisfied tone, "Oh, you're coming along as well. The king does need to hear from both guilty parties after all."

Servants summon the king to the Great Hall and when he walks in, he is greeted by the sight of his wife and one of his best knights being treated as criminals. Just as he is about to roar out in anger at the guards, the king sees how the queen is deliberately turning her face away from him in shame and how the knight's scowl seems to be torn between fury against the guards holding the queen prisoner and a heartfelt desire to comfort the queen and shield her from the prying eyes and wagging tongues of the courtiers. And with that, the king understands the entire situation.

Walking with as much of his usual royal and authoritative deportment as possible, the king seats himself before the assembly and asks calmly, "What are the charges?"

The captain of the guard steps forward smartly and seems to take pleasure in announcing, "They are both guilty of committing adultery, Your Majesty!"

Hesitating slightly, the king asks, "And what evidence do you have to support these charges?"

Standing to attention, the captain all but shouts, "Sire, these two offenders were observed to not only embrace passionately but also to kiss in a manner only suited to a man and wife in private and to exchange words that spoke of their adulterous feelings for the other. These things were all observed not only by myself, but by my men also, Your Majesty."

With each word, the king's face becomes stonier and stonier to mask his tortured emotions until he finally is allowed to ask the guards, "Is this so?"

Unlike their captain, the guards can see the effect this procedure is having on their beloved king and queen and are reluctant to answer at first. But one by one, they each give little nods or muttered answers in the affirmative.

After another brief pause, the king says firmly, "Take them both and lock them securely in their own chambers. Post a guard outside the rooms and no one except for myself is allowed inside. I will pass judgment on both of them at the end of the week."

Rising from his chair and walking briskly from the room, the king says over his shoulder, "You are all dismissed," before disappearing down the castle corridor.

However, the king would never have a chance to pass judgment as the group set to overthrow him make a final, desperate attempt to overthrow the king while he was still reeling from this unexpected and harsh blow. The next day, the king's enemies storm the castle and are able to overpower the royal guards. While fighting with one of the enemy, the king is badly wounded before he manages to overpower and defeat the attacker. With the help of his friend, the king fights his way to the queen's chamber and manages to stumble inside while his friend barricades the door as best he can.

The queen rushes over to catch her husband as he collapses to the floor and she cries out, "You're hurt!" before she manages to pull herself together and start tearing one of her dresses into strips to bind up the king's severe wound.

The king allows the queen to tend him for a while before he reaches over to clasp her hand and asks, "Is it true? Do you really love him?"

As the queen gazes down into the pain-filled blue eyes, her own vision is obscured by tears as she says brokenly, "I'm so sorry. I've failed you as a queen...as a wife...as a woman."

Leaning down to kiss the king's cheeks and forehead, the queen sobs out, "You are my husband. Somehow, I lost sight of that and only thought about how I felt and what I wanted and now...and now..."

Touching her forehead to his, the queen says in a whisper, "Even though I don't deserve it, I ask you to forgive me. Forgive me for being a foolish girl who couldn't see the love and happiness you had to offer."

Unseen by either of them, the orange-haired knight climbed through the window and drew his sword before he noticed the heart-wrenching tableau in front of him.

Reaching a hand up to push back some hair from her face, the king says softly, "Yes...I do..."

And with a last shuddering breath, the king dies.

After gripping the king's lifeless body to her for what seems like an eternity, the queen looks up to meet the knight's gaze. No words are needed as they see the same expression of resignation and mourning in each other's eyes. They know that any hope they might have had for a happy life has died along with the king.

The entire world is enveloped in darkness...and moments later, the audience begins to applaud.

Outside the theater, a sign reads "The Nature of Love: A Play Based upon the Legend of King Arthur" with a list of the dates and times of the performances listed below.

* * *

Long after the audience had cleared from the auditorium and most of the cast and crew had also gone home to crash into bed and rest before the next performance, Ichigo walked down the nearly deserted city streets with his arm casually and yet protectively draped across his girlfriend's shoulders. Tonight had been the first performance out of seven and while there were always things that needed to be ironed out before the next performance, Ichigo had a few very specific things he needed to ask Orihime about.

"Hey, Orihime."

Looking up at her boyfriend with her eyes wide with curiosity, Orihime asked, "Yes, Ichigo?"

Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Ichigo said with a slight scowl, "During the scene where you tell me to go away..."

After about ten seconds, Orihime gently prodded, "Yes, during that scene..."

Tightening his arm slightly around Orihime's shoulders, Ichigo asked, "During that scene," he paused once again very briefly before he finished, "you've never...you know...cried before, so I wanted to know..."

When his voice trailed off again, Orihime finished for him, saying, "You want to know why I was crying, right?"

Stopping and taking his arm from Orihime's shoulders in order to clasp both her hands in his, Ichigo said, "Yeah."

Rubbing her fingers across the backs of Ichigo's hands, Orihime said, "Well, as the director, Mizuiro pulled me aside yesterday after the dress rehearsal and said that if I really wanted to make the audience believe what was going on in that scene that I needed to do something that you wouldn't be expecting."

Extracting one of his hands so that he could rub the back of his neck, Ichigo said with a humorless chuckle, "Well, I certainly didn't expect you to do anything like that. For a moment there..."

Again, Orihime waited for a time before she asked, "What?"

Looking straight into Orihime's eyes, Ichigo said in a low tone, "For a moment, I thought I was back in Hueco Mundo listening to you crying your heart out. I can't stand it when you cry because of something I've done."

Wrapping her arms tightly around Ichigo's torso, Orihime squeezed as hard as she could to show him just how sorry she was as she said quickly, "I didn't think of that! Please forgive me! I didn't mean to make you feel that way!"

Gently clasping Orihime's face between his hands and pushing her away so that he could look her directly in the eyes, Ichigo said, "As long as you let me do this," he kissed her softly on the lips before pulling away a fraction to finish with, "if I ever make you cry, then I think we can call it even."

Touching her forehead to Ichigo's, Orihime said softly, "Sounds like a deal," before she leaned forward and connected their lips once again.

**Author's Note:**

I know...I'm positively insane. Starting yet another series while I still have about five of them that I need to update. I promise I'll around to them soon, but I saw this prompt over on Tumblr's 'ichihime week' tag and I just had to work out this idea that came into my head as soon as I saw 'Medieval AU'. So this is the story that I came up with.

Now, I promised an explanation as to why there were no names, and this is it: in the play I would have had to refer to each character by their stage name if I chose to use their real name as well and I wanted the ending to be something of a surprise. So rather that having the characters inaccurately call each other by their real name onstage, I thought I would just keep things in cognito and see what you guys thought of it.

If you got completely and totally lost and are like "Jylener! Your story is WAY too confusing without names!" I'll go back through and edit it with names. However, I think it sounded rather like a story being read, so it was really cool in my head...however, I know from experience that most things that are said in my head and then come out of my mouth are very often quite ridiculous, so do let me know what you thought.

I will try and do some more prompts this coming week and hopefully post an update for 'Hearts', 'Music' and 'Passion'. Hope to hear from you guys! :)


	2. Smile

It is often said that you know what you've got until it's gone. Whether the phrase refers to a priceless antique one might have mistaken for junk, a loved one taken for granted, a prosperous lifestyle or the ability to dictate one's own schedule, the meaning behind the phrase can change depending upon a person's situation.

In the case of Ichigo and Orihime Kurosaki, newly-made parents of twin girls, a good-night's sleep is something they can only dream about…pun intended.

Our story begins about two weeks after the twins are born and Ichigo's paternal leave of absence is done. Because of the long, hectic hours required of him as a hospital doctor, Ichigo had been positive that he would have no difficulty in adjusting to life at home with two infants. Boy, had he been mistaken.

Even though he was constantly on his feet, constantly having to readjust himself from one patient to the next and constantly having to keep himself in check when dealing with some of the more irritating patients and/or their families, since he was constantly on the move at work, Ichigo found no difficulty in staying awake and alert at his job. When it came to life with the twins, Ichigo found himself constantly feeling sleepy and dragging himself about the house. Likely, that was due to the fact that the infants would only require one or two things at a time and then the house would be peaceful again for a while and then another flurry of activity could commence. Because there was also no 'method to the madness', Ichigo couldn't get himself into a 'groove', which naturally threw Ichigo off even more.

Now, he was rubbing the bridge of his nose as he finished up with his last patient before he was allowed to go home. Checking the chart and giving the nurse a few final instructions, Ichigo gave the patient a farewell nod and walked out of the room massaging his shoulders and cracking his neck.

Part-way down the hallway, Ichigo heard a familiar voice calling him so he turned around to see his friend and colleague, Dr. Uryu Ishida, making his way down the hall.

Catching up and striding alongside Ichigo, Uryu asked, "Heading home?"

Stretching his arms above his head and scratching his scalp with a yawn, Ichigo answered, "That's the idea."

Reaching into his coat pocket, Uryu said, "Here, take this."

Giving his friend a side-ways questioning look, Ichigo asked with a hint of wariness, "Take what?"

Keeping his eyes ahead, Uryu handed over the object and said in an unconcerned tone, "Something I made for the twins. They're obviously not old enough to care whether they both get something, so this is just to start."

Extending his hand, Ichigo took the object and turned it over in his hands, inspecting it. It appeared to be some sort of stuffed animal…object…thing, only rather than the traditional cotton fluff, it was filled with aromatic beads.

Trying to keep a straight face, Ichigo said casually, "Uhh…thanks. I'm sure Reika and Ayaka will enjoy this…this…"

"Twin baby mice inside a peapod," Uryu supplied, "I saw something like it on Pinterest, so I decided to try it out."

Arriving at the staff locker room, Ichigo opened his locker, slipped out of his doctor's coat and into his comfortable zip-up hoodie and said as he placed the gift from Uryu in one of the pockets, "I see. Well, I'll give it to the girls and tell them it was from you."

Adjusting his collar, Ichigo couldn't resist asking, "By the way, what did you use to stuff it?"

Pushing up his glasses, Uryu looked highly pleased with himself as he replied, "They are beads I made myself so that they are slightly chewy, yet shatter-proof so that small pieces won't break inside and possibly injure the baby's mouth. I also researched and discovered that the chamomile and lavender scents are natural baby soothers and used in many baby products, so I infused the beads with those scents to help calm the babies more efficiently than a mere pacifier."

Not at all put off by Ichigo's usual dumbstruck expression at his explanation, Uryu gave Ichigo a curt nod saying, "You're welcome," and then pushed open the door to continue on his rounds.

Shaking his head, Ichigo made his way out to his car and made his way quickly, yet carefully, through the streets until he reached home. Taking another moment to stretch his long limbs out, Ichigo walked up to the back door, unlocked it, stepped inside, locked it again and then tried to silently take off his shoes and make his way through the house towards the bedroom.

Trying to make as little noise as possible in the dark room, Ichigo went directly over to his dresser to pull out a pair of pajama bottoms before shrugging out of his clothes, leaving only his undershirt on, putting on the bottoms and getting ready to flop down next to his sleeping wife.

Despite being bone-tired and feeling his eyelids begin to droop, Ichigo climbed in gently next to Orihime and whispered in her ear, "I'm home."

Part of Ichigo regretted waking her up, but the other part relaxed considerably when he felt and heard his wife stir and say in a sleep-laced whisper, "Welcome home, Ichigo."

Supporting himself above her, Ichigo leaned over to blindly plant kisses all over her head and face until he finally reached her lips. He heard and felt her giggle as she returned his kiss and clasped his face between her hands. Just as he was about to deepen the kiss, he heard one of the twins cough a couple of times before beginning to cry pitifully.

Giving Ichigo one last kiss, Orihime began trying to roll out from underneath him as she said, "Must need a diaper change or something."

Grabbing Orihime and pulling her back into place, Ichigo kissed her temple and said, "You go back to sleep. I'll take care of it."

Knowing what she was about to say, Ichigo added a little more steel into his tone as he said, "You're still half-asleep and I'm completely awake. I'll take care of it."

Without another word, Ichigo clambered back out of bed and stumbled over his previously discarded clothes. Remembering Uryu's gift, Ichigo quickly rummaged around for a moment or two before he found the object and then made his way into the twin's bedroom. From the soft beams of a nightlight, Ichigo was able to see Reika sleeping soundly in her crib while Ayaka was the one putting up the fuss.

Rubbing his eyes briefly as he stepped up to the crib, Ichigo looked down at Ayaka as she weakly flailed her arms and legs about, frequently rubbing her face in the process, and said in a low rumble as he picked her up between his hands, "Hey, hey now. No need for all the theatrics. I'm here."

Ayaka continued to fuss until Ichigo brought her to rest again his chest, then she began to settle herself more comfortably against him. Seeming to sense that she was being left out, Reika sneezed, yawned and then also began whimpering until Ichigo scooped her carefully up as well. Because the rocking chair was piled with laundry, Ichigo made his way out into the living room and stretched out on the couch with the twins only moving or making cooing sounds occasionally.

Letting out a yawn of his own, Ichigo spoke in a low rumble, "Well, I promised Uryu that I'd give this to you guys," he carefully reached over to switch on a lamp on a low setting as he said, "so I guess now's as good a time as any."

Pulling the toy out of his pocket, Ichigo tried passing it off to either one of the girls. Reika gave a little sneeze and rubbed her face with a fist, while Ayaka turned her face into Ichigo's shirt and tried to get rid of the smell that way.

Chuckling deep in his chest, Ichigo said, "As much as I would love to, I guess I can't tell Uryu that you guys don't like his gift. Guess he'll have to do better than mice in a peapod next time, eh?"

Through half-lidded eyes, Ichigo almost missed it, but if he didn't know any better he would have guessed that Reika was smiling up at him in agreement.

At three in the morning, Orihime got up to check on Ichigo and the twins. When she saw the lamp in the living room, she padded noiselessly down the hallway and stopped in the doorway to take in the sight before her. All three of her precious family members were sleeping soundly on the couch, with Ichigo's head bent back and his mouth gaping so that he snored slightly. Trying her best to suppress her giggles, Orihime covered father and daughters with a comforter and then sat back just watching them for a while with a soft, loving smile.

While it is true that often one doesn't realize just how important something is until it's gone, for Ichigo and Orihime, if they were given the choice between getting a full night's sleep or raising a family…well, it's the little things in life...pun intended.


	3. Patience

Lying out on a beach with the sun beating down on you, the waves rhythmically washing along the shoreline and the sounds of people doing what they enjoy doing at the beach should be enough to calm anyone, thought Ichigo to himself as he lay stretched out on the beach. Vacations were supposed to be a time for one to relax and enjoy the time away from busy, everyday life, but honeymoons were supposed to be even more sacred for the couple because of…well, everything that happens…ok, that guy really needed to shut up and walk away before Ichigo went nuts.

Ichigo's wife of two weeks was sitting next to him and chatting innocently away to what Ichigo had mentally begun calling 'The Humanoid Idiotic Parasitic Simpleton', or 'Thips' for short. While Ichigo loved Orihime's innocent, friendly, patient and talkative nature most of the time, the one thing he couldn't stand was when he saw others take advantage of her good nature.

The guy in question was someone who claimed to have gone to the same elementary and middle school as Orihime before moving away in high school. Unfortunately, his story was proved accurate when Orihime recognized him as well and had immediately begun reacquainting herself with the guy. He was like a male version of Chizuru, only without the weird tendencies to cling like a leech to Orihime or cry uncontrollably at the oddest moments when Orihime would do things (something Ichigo had never been able to figure out…nor did he really want to), in the way that he just couldn't seem to take a hint.

Okay, Ichigo might have been fine with the whole 'finding an old school friend and get to know them again' at first because it was fun to see Orihime light up in delight at seeing an old school fellow…but that had been almost a week ago. Now Ichigo could barely keep himself from planting his fist in the guy's face every time he saw him pop up in the morning at breakfast, when he and Orihime tried to go out and do something alone, at the restaurants where they would eat, almost everywhere they went Ichigo would hear that voice calling out, "Hey Orihime! Wait for me!" or "Hey Orihime! Look at this store with its cute souvenirs!" or "Hey Orihime, I think you should try this dish instead. It's supposed to be their signature dish."

When Ichigo got home, he would have to get Keigo something nice for all the times Ichigo had ignored him or treated him like a nuisance. At least he could get away from Keigo.

However, the one thing that kept Ichigo from putting this guy in a box and shipping him off to Siberia or the Bermuda Triangle was the woman sitting next to him. Orihime had a keener sense about people then he did so as long as she didn't seem to mind having the guy around, Ichigo could force himself to endure the annoyance of having a third wheel.

Then he heard Orihime say something about being right back as she wanted to fetch something from the hotel room and the next moment Ichigo heard Orihime's signature hum and the soft slap of her flip-flops against her heels fade away. For a few moments, Ichigo began breaking out in a cold sweat as he thought that Thips might want to talk to him while Orihime was away…but then Ichigo's breathing evened out again as he heard Thips take out his cell phone and begin doing something on it.

A few moments later, Ichigo heard Thips say, "Hey man, how's it going?...Eh, not much to do here on vacation only…What?...You're kidding…No I didn't watch the game…I was going to tell you, so just shut up and listen…Remember that Inoue girl from school?...Yeah, the one with the really weird stories...Yeah, the one who got her hair cut…No, I didn't do it because I had a game then, but…What?...Yeah, I know…Anyway, I actually ran into her…No man, I'm serious, I actually recognized her and went over to talk to her…Hey, hold up, hold up, you would have too if you saw her…No man, she's turned into such a babe since we last saw her…No, she's got this enormous and I mean absolutely incredible rack…And her legs are just as silky, smooth and long as a guy could wish for…And you know how everybody cut her hair because it was so weird looking…Yeah, well it's so long now it's past her waist and it just flows…"

It was at this point that Ichigo officially switched the guy's name from 'Thips' to 'Tawbes', which stood for 'The Animal Who'll Be Exterminated Shortly', and was about to start whaling on the guy when something made him stop and think. Normally being a 'take action now, ask everyone to thank him later for saving their butts again' kind of guy, he wasn't entirely sure at first why everything within him was telling him to be patient and use his brain…then an idea began forming in his mind and a grin spread slowly over the features he was still trying to keep relaxed and composed as if in sleep. Rather than going nuclear on this guy, it would be so much more rewarding to go Operation Ghost Hunter…and a lot funnier.

A few hours later, Ichigo asked Orihime, "Hey, how would you like to have a private dinner tonight away from everyone else?"

Turning away from the mirror where she was arranging her hair, Orihime asked him with bright, wide eyes, "Oh, just the two of us together?"

Just as he was about to abandon his plan in favor of Orihime's suggestion, Ichigo turned around and said, "Well, no…I thought we could invite your friend maybe this once."

"Oh, I see," Ichigo prayed that it was not just his wishful imagination that Orihime sounded rather disappointed at his suggestion, before she said, "Well, I guess that might be nice too."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Ichigo went on, "Well, I was thinking that maybe this way we could do one final thing together and then kind of go our separate ways for the last few days of our honeymoon."

Hearing the brush clatter onto the counter, Ichigo grinned as he turned to catch Orihime as she jumped and wrapped her arms around his neck as she cried ecstatically, "That sounds lovely," before she gave him a long, sweet kiss.

Less than an hour later, Ichigo escorted Orihime and Tawbes into a small restaurant built along the shoreline saying, "I don't know where I heard about this place, but I was told that the food and entertainment…" Ichigo leaned slightly closer to Tawbes as he said, "…were to die for."

Tawbes did something of a double-take after Ichigo's comment, but immediately was drawn back to Orihime as she began bouncing around in delight as she started naming off all the wonderful different foods she could smell from the kitchen.

The inside of the restaurant looked a lot larger than one might have believed from the outside. It was decorated in a rather 'anything goes' sort of way as there were beads dangling from doorways into more private dining areas, artwork that mostly involved logs, leaves, moss and tree branches arranged in interesting/odd shapes about the room, mobiles of anything from dragons to butterflies to fish to weird kinds of symbols were hanging from the ceiling, while in the center of it all was a small, open area with a stool, easel and drawing pad with other art materials just sitting there.

The only other thing was that they were the only guests in the restaurant.

From behind one of the beaded curtain came what looked like a feeble old man using a cane to support himself as he called out in a thin, reedy voice, "Come in, come in! We are so delighted that you decided to come and sup here at The Black Rock Where Winter Lions, Tigers and Dragons Yearn One Night for Joy and Happiness by the Light Chrysanthemum! Please, rest in peace here."

Turning towards the back room, the old man called out, "We have guests! Come out and make them comfortable!"

The next moment, two suspiciously veiled servers came out from behind the beads and escorted the small party to the dining area with the best vantage point of the 'art arena'. Orihime didn't seem to notice anything amiss about the place as she was eagerly perusing the menu and muttering to herself about what she would like to try. On the other hand, Ichigo was hard pressed not to begin smirking as he noticed Tawbes beginning to look rather uncomfortable as his eyes took in the odd establishment and its staff.

Hobbling up to the table, the old man leaned on his stick as he asked, "What may I start you off with? Some nicely brewed tea or perhaps something a little stronger?"

"I'd love some tea," piped up Orihime with a bright smile.

"I'll have the same," said Ichigo before turning back to his menu.

There was a slight hesitation before Tawbes said in a tone that reeked of false bravado, "Bring me your best sake."

With a bow, one of the two veiled servers padded noiselessly away before the old man turned back to the table and said, "Tonight we have a special deal for our honored guests."

Gesturing dramatically over to the easel, the old man said, "Solve the mystery of the Artwork without an Artist," his voice became dramatically eerie right then, "and you will receive a complimentary surprise when you leave here today."

Leaning forward excitedly, Orihime repeated in an awed whisper, "The Artwork without an Artist?"

The old man gave a wheezy chuckle as he said, "Yes, dear lady. The Artwork without an Artist. Would you like hear the horrific and terrifying tale that the mystery comes from?"

Nodding her head eagerly, Orihime looked at the old man with huge, pleading eyes as she bounced in her seat and implored, "Please, please, please tell us the story."

In his best husky, ghost story-telling voice, the old man began.

"In a town not far from where I was born and raised, there was once a young woman who was known all around as a talented artist. However, what really added to her notoriety was the rumor that she had visions of the future, would paint them and in time her visions would come to pass."

"She painted pictures of children growing up and getting married to one another when they were older. She painted pictures where there were times of draught and hardship, then other times of plenty and happiness. She painted pictures of soldiers coming through and burning down half the village and then later painting a picture of a tribe of nomads coming through and helping the village to rebuild their homes. All the people revered and feared her."

"As the young woman continued her work, she often felt lonely as she lived alone because none of the men wanted her for their wife with her special gift and her family had all been killed in the village fire. The, one day she painted the man of her dreams…and a week later, he arrived at the village."

"It was a whirlwind romance and less than a year later, the young woman was sitting up with her art materials getting ready to turn in for the night. Then…the young woman felt the same urge to paint that she always had when she was about to create one of her prediction pictures. When her vision cleared and she sat staring at the picture, the young woman felt a chill crawl up her spine…for she had painted a picture of herself lying face down in a field with her blood seeping from underneath her body."

Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo saw Orihime shiver with delight and Tawbes pour himself a sizable amount of sake as the old man said slowly, "She had painted a prediction of her own death."

"Quickly, the young woman hid the painting among her things where no one else would find it and the next morning, she was happily married to the man she loved. Life and time helped the young woman to forget all about the painting. However, as the years went on, another heartache came along to bring down her happiness…the young woman and her husband were unable to have children."

"Little did the young woman suspect that as time went on, her beloved husband had grown tired of living together with her and was beginning to cast his eyes over the other women of the village. One in particular had caught his attention as she was very beautiful and had a tidy sum settled on her as a dowry. The husband also saw several other men of the village paying close attention to the woman he was attracted too, so he knew he had to act quickly."

"One evening, the young woman received a note asking her to come out and meet someone in a nearby field. Something within the young woman warned her not to go, but feeling curious as to the summons, she went anyway. When she arrived, the young woman was stabbed twelve times by her husband…once for every year they had been married."

"As the young woman lay dying in the dirt, she swore an oath that she would never rest peacefully until she had exacted her revenge on twelve other faithless, dishonorable men about to ruin the life of an innocent young woman."

In the pause before the old man finished the story, Ichigo heard Orihime give a soft squeak and Tawbes gulp down even more sake.

"The only way to defeat the ghost of the murdered artist is to correctly guess her name before she finishes her picture."

Gesturing towards the easel, the old man asked, "So…who would like to go first?"

Before Orihime could raise her hand and volunteer, the old man pointed at Tawbes and said, "Young man, step forward!"

Probably partially because he didn't want to lose face, partially because he didn't really believe the story and probably mostly because he was full to the brim of 'liquid courage', Tawbes stood up and said in a slightly slurred voice, "All right, man. You're on."

The second veiled figure stepped forward to help Tawbes make his way over to the open area and help him onto a chair just to the side of the easel, but where he could still see the paper and materials clearly. Before he could demand that they get a move on, Tawbes's eyes widened as he saw a paintbrush rise from the tray, dip itself into some paint and begin outlining a picture on the paper.

"Ummm…Ichigo?"

"It's all right Orihime. Just watch."

With wide eyes, Tawbes watched the brush skim over the canvas and begin to create an absolutely terrifying picture. The characters were absolutely grotesque in their form and expression, wielding large, sharp weapons and chasing another character out of some sort of building. From what he could see, Tawbes noticed that the character being chased seemed to be screaming and it was wearing the same kind of outfit he was.

"Ichigo, what-"

"Just trust me Orihime."

All of a sudden, Tawbes noticed something that looked almost like a piece of fishing wire. Suddenly, all his confidence returned as he 'figured out' what had to be going on.

Sitting back in his chair and laughing, Tawbes said, "It's just a trick! There is no ghost artist! It's just someone hiding up in the roof or something!"

Standing up and reaching out for the brush, he said, "All right, I've solved your 'mystery', so come out and then get me some more sake!"

However, once his fingers wrapped around the brush, Tawbes felt something hit his stomach so hard that all the air went whooshing out of his lungs. Sitting down hard and trying to re-inflate his collapsed insides, Tawbes began trembling as the brush began slowly making its way towards his face.

"Ichigo, I-"

"No, Orihime. Please don't interfere."

Tawbes remained frozen as the brush painted something on his forehead, then he began to tremble uncontrollably. All of a sudden, his heart jumped frantically from the depths of his queasy stomach to his dry mouth as he realized that he was shivering because it…was…snowing. Then came a thick kind of smoky mist that began to sting him like tiny insects…and that was it. When his drunken vision cleared slightly, Tawbes found himself racing pell-mell across the shoreline and towards the hotel where he locked himself in his room and didn't come out until the next morning. All through the night, he left every single light on and even had the TV turned up almost to the max so that the other guests called and complained about him…and then he not only had to try and reason with the managers about keeping his TV on, but then he also had to ignore their smirking glances as they read 'Fool' printed across his forehead.

As for Orihime, when Tawbes went crashing out of the restaurant, she stood up and asked in a confused tone, "What is going on? What are you all doing here? Why was he so scared of Rukia?"

The 'ghostly artist' chuckled as she answered Orihime's question, "Well, he was scared of me because he can't see me like you can."

"Oh, that does make sense," said Orihime with understanding before she frowned thoughtfully and asked, "But why would you all want to scare him away like that?"

Turning to her husband, Orihime asked in a half plaintive, half upset tone, "And why didn't you let me explain to him what was going on?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Ichigo looked at the ceiling as he replied, "Well, he's been following us around the entire time we've been on our honeymoon and I was tired of being patient and waiting for him to leave us alone so I…called and asked if everyone could help me out."

Looking around, Orihime saw the old man transform into Urahara, the two veiled servers turned out to be Renji and Tatsuki from two of the 'empty' dining areas came a beaming Rangiku and a resigned Toshiro.

Trying her best to be severe, Orihime placed her hands on her hips and asked, "Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?"

Everyone but Toshiro exchanged identical smirks before they pulled out party poppers and yelled, "Enjoy the rest of your honeymoon, Lovebirds!"

The rest of the evening was spent eating the food prepared by Tessai and Yoruichi in the kitchen (which had all been prepared with Orihime in mind, so about half-way through Orihime leaned over to give her husband a quick peck on the cheek as a reward…but she hadn't completely forgiven him yet) and chatting with their friends.

Wiping his mouth with a handkerchief, Urahara said in a breezy tone, "Well chaps and chapesses, guess it's about time we close up shop."

About an hour later, everything in the building had been safely packed away in specially designed boxes and Urahara opened a portal that would take them directly back to Urahara's Shop.

Standing about an arm's length from Ichigo, Orihime turned after the last of their friends had disappeared and asked Ichigo in a serious, not-going-to-put-up-with-any-fibbing tone, "Ichigo, why did you call them all the way out here to drive my old school friend away?"

Looking back directly into her eyes, Ichigo took a few moments before he answered, "Because when you left for the hotel, I heard him say some things about you that…if I heard him talking about any other girl I would have simply bloodied his nose and told him to grow up, but when he talks that way about my wife…I'm not going to let it go lightly."

Taking a few steps forward to look out over the ocean, Orihime didn't say anything for a minute or two and then she broke the silence with, "I see. Once again you've come to my rescue."

Turning halfway round, Orihime asked, "Do you ever get tired of having to save me from…well, almost everything?"

Walking past her and taking her hand in his, Ichigo led her down the beach a ways before he answered, "Not unless you get tired of putting up with my surly, possessive, jealous tendencies."

Pulling on Ichigo's hand, Orihime turned him to face her as she said simply, "But you're not all those things. You're stern and protective, that's all."

Pushing a strand of hair from her face, Ichigo replied, "When it comes to you, I sure can be. People can say what they want about me and I'll let them alone."

Gently pulling her towards him, Ichigo finished with, "But just let them try and hurt you in any way and I'll…I'll…I'll…"

Wrapping her arms around Ichigo's chest and rubbing his back, Orihime whispered, "All right, Ichigo. I understand now."

Pulling away to look up at him, Orihime said, "Thank you, Ichigo. Thank you for protecting me."

Placing his forehead against her, Ichigo answered, "Thank you, Orihime. Thank you for loving me and especially for waiting for me all those years."

"How could I do anything else?"

From up in some trees, Isshin and Yuzu bounced up and down excitedly as they watched Ichigo and Orihime kiss through their binoculars, while Karin leaned against the tree and muttered about how she wished her crazy family wouldn't drag her along when they did stupid stuff like this.

**Author's Note:**

All righty, credit where credit is due. For whatever reason, when I saw the word patience, I immediately thought of the honeymoon episodes from the anime 'Itazura na Kiss' and this one-shot kind of snow-balled from there. So, if you have seen the anime before, then you know which parts I 'borrowed' from there and changed slightly to suit my purposes and if you haven't seen the anime...then I'd recommend you go and check it out. It's a little zany at times and rather melodramatic...okay, really melodramatic, but I really enjoy most of the characters from there, so yeah.

Hope you enjoyed reading this little romp as much as I enjoyed writing it! Now I am going to go and crack my neck and relax my typing fingers to hopefully be able to crank out one more update before I crash tonight...we'll see if that actually happens...


	4. Dying Next to You

_**Pre-Author's Note:**_

_**In case the title of this chapter wasn't enough, if you don't like sad stories, you probably shouldn't read this. Just thought I'd give you a head's up.**_

"Young Master, please don't frown so. One might think you didn't want to meet your future bride today."

Crossing his arms and scowling even more ferociously than before, twelve year old Ichigo Kurosaki huffed, "Well, I don't want to meet her, that's for sure."

After getting a rather firm cuff on the back of the head, Ichigo whirled around to demand, "What was that for, Kisuke?!"

Looking over the top of his fan at his young charge, Kisuke replied, "Well, I was hoping to knock a bit of sense into that thick skull of yours, Young Master. Did it work?"

Stepping in front of Ichigo, fourteen year old Rukia said in a bossy tone, "Would you quit messing around already? We're nearly there and I'm ready to sit down and relax in the shade while I rest my aching feet, so quit your moping and start walking!"

Fortunately, rather than choosing to try and fight with Rukia (this time at least), Ichigo stormed off down the path and called over his shoulder, "I am not messing around and I'm definitely not moping!"

The small entourage began walking again, making sure to keep their young charge well within sight. The entourage consisted of the best bodyguards, Yoruichi and Byakuya, from the Kurosaki Clan as well as Kisuke, who was sent in the stead of Isshin Kurosaki to help arrange all the details of Ichigo's betrothal and eventual marriage to the future leader of the Inoue Clan. Rukia had been allowed to come along as well 'to give Ichigo moral support' as Isshin had termed it because she was one of his oldest friends and Isshin was well aware how much his son did not wish to think about marriage at his age.

For nearly five hundred years, the Kurosaki and Inoue clans had been locked together in a bloody and devastating feud. In recent years, the bitter feud had begun spilling over and causing casualties amongst the common populace, so the Emperor had decreed that both clans were to reach a peaceful resolution through the marriage of the Kurosaki and Inoue successors. After so much bloodshed over the years, both Kisuke and Isshin were doubtful that one marriage would allow both the clans to live together in peace, but at least it would be a place to start.

"But we won't get a chance to find out if Ichigo doesn't go along with the marriage," said Kisuke under his breath.

"What'd you say?" asked Yoruichi, who was walking just slightly behind Kisuke.

Turning back to grin at her, Kisuke said cheerily, "I was just saying that I hope the Young Master is able to find as much happiness in his wife as I have in mine."

Giving Kisuke a brief, wry smile, Yoruichi's gaze turned once again on Ichigo's young figure as she said slowly, "He'll have to grow up and learn to make the best of it. He's too young to know about hate and grudges and feuds."

Letting out a long sigh, Yoruichi went on, "However, I can't say that I blame him for being upset about it. I mean, they did brutally murder his mother and sisters."

Shaking his head, Kisuke added, "And they paralyzed Master Isshin as well. I don't know how the Young Master could feel any differently with all the hardships he's gone through so far."

Feeling a little bad about scolding Ichigo earlier, Rukia jogged until she caught up with him and then walked alongside him for a bit before she broke the silence by asking, "Ichigo, are you all right?"

There was silence for a while before Ichigo said, "I don't know."

Another lengthy pause stretched between them before Ichigo went on, "I don't understand why I have to do this. Why do I have to be the one who gets married to someone from…from that clan?"

Clenching and unclenching his fists, Ichigo said, "I always knew growing up that one day I'd take over the Kurosaki Clan and that all my training and learning was to prepare me for that day. My training was also to help me protect the Kurosaki Clan from everyone who attacked us…especially that clan. Everything made sense until now."

Ichigo's voice cracked with emotion as he said, "Now, everything has changed. The Kurosaki Clan is being forced to make peace with that other clan-"

"The Inoue Clan," Rukia interrupted.

"What?" asked Ichigo in confusion as he looked over at Rukia.

Returning Ichigo's look, Rukia said seriously, "They are called the Inoue Clan. Might as well get used to using their name, no matter how distasteful it might be to you."

His eyes hardening, Ichigo all but spat out, "That name is more than just distasteful, it's…it's…"

Reaching out to firmly grasp Ichigo's shoulder, Rukia added more steel into her tone as she said, "Doesn't matter how much you may hate the Inoue Clan. Whether you like it or not-"

Ichigo interrupted Rukia this time, exclaiming, "But that's exactly it! This is all happening whether I like it or not! The Emperor couldn't just make the…the…the Inoue Clan," Rukia's heart went out to Ichigo as he choked on the name, "and my father sign some sort of peace treaty and leave it at that."

Shaking her head, Rukia said with a sigh, "Obviously you need to brush up on your history a bit more. Don't you remember how many times people have tried to make peace treaties between our two clans?"

Scratching the back of his head, Ichigo grumbled, "Four."

"That's right, four," said Rukia in her usual bossy tone, "And the record for the longest standing treaty was almost exactly a month and that was simply because that was a particularly bitter and snowy winter and the two clans couldn't get at each other very easily."

Walking a bit faster, Ichigo said in irritation, "All right, all right! So maybe a peace treaty hasn't worked before, but there has got to be a better way than this marriage!"

Voice softening in sympathy, Rukia asked gently, "And don't you think that if there was any other way that your father would have done it?"

Replacing her hand gently on Ichigo's shoulder, Rukia said, "I'm not saying that I know exactly how you feel right now, but just think about this, will you? You said yourself that you have been trained all your life to do what is best for the Kurosaki Clan and that it is your duty to protect them. Like it or not, this is what has been decided is best for both clans, so think of this wedding as a way to keep the Inoue's from hurting the people you care about ever again."

When Ichigo turned to look at Rukia, she finished with, "The peace treaty works both ways, you know. We can't attack them, but they also cannot hurt us."

Scratching his head and then rubbing the back of his neck, Ichigo relented, "I guess you're right."

Trying to suppress a giggle, Rukia said in her bossiest voice, "Of course I'm right," to which Ichigo only answered by rolling his eyes and letting out a deep sigh.

Eventually, the Inoue settlement came into sight and the small party was escorted inside. Despite everyone's best efforts to convince him to do otherwise, Ichigo persisted in scowling murderously at everyone who approached him. While some of the guards returned Ichigo's scowl willingly, most people would hastily retreat away from the boy.

From behind his fan, Kisuke said in his usual breezy tone, but with a slight hint of annoyance, "Young Master, would you please refrain from scaring these good people? You do realize that we are rather outnumbered in this place and that our purpose here is to happily arrange your future nuptials?"

"Ah, so our guests have arrived at last," said a low, deep voice from behind the small group.

Turning around, Kisuke lowered his fan slightly as he bowed deeply and said in his most cheery tone, "Well, if it isn't Sosuke Aizen come to greet us weary travelers."

Returning Kisuke's bow with one of his own, the tall man's grin did not quite reach his deep brown eyes as he chuckled, "I can imagine you would all be quite tired after your long journey here. Please, follow me."

As he led them deeper into the compound, Aizen walked next to Kisuke while the others followed behind. The two men made small talk as they walked until they finally reached the room where there were already rugs and small tables set out for refreshments. Kisuke and Aizen sat in the center of the arrangement while all the Kurosaki and Inoue members sat on the side of their designated spokesperson.

Knowing his place was next to Kisuke, Ichigo sat down with Yoruichi sitting on his other side followed by Byakuya and then Rukia at the end of the Kurosaki line. Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo saw Rukia trying to get his attention and discreetly pantomime that he should quit scowling and start smiling. His only concession was to relax the muscles of his eyebrows only slightly so that it only looked like he was about ready to punch someone into next week rather than about to send them six feet under.

He was so focused on trying to keep his fury from boiling over that Ichigo was not paying attention to any conversation or sounds going on around him, so it was rather a surprise when a tray was set down in front of him. Automatically he raised his gaze and found himself staring straight into a pair of huge, sparkling and full of the joy of life gray eyes. Even though the next instant his own face relaxed in shock at the overwhelming force of those eyes, it was quite apparent that the eyes looking at Ichigo had seen the hate-filled look in his own eyes because they widened even more and Ichigo could see a hint of fear starting to creep up in their depths. However, just as quickly as the fear came, it was gone and the eyes were smiling once again. Ichigo felt his mouth open to say something, but the owner of the eyes got up and left his field of vision.

Feeling an elbow in his side, Ichigo jumped slightly and turned to meet Yoruichi's golden eyes as she asked softly, "Are you all right, Young Master?"

Blinking a few times, Ichigo looked down at the tray of refreshments as he mumbled, "Yeah, I'm fine," before starting to eat.

When everyone was finished eating, Ichigo was just beginning to resign himself to having to sit and quietly listen to the adults begin to talk for forever when he heard Aizen say, "Well, if you are in agreement, Kisuke, I don't think Master Kurosaki or his young companion need to stay longer. As you can see, our young mistress is not in attendance since I did not feel that one of her tender years was needed to sit through such tedious proceedings."

Taking a sip of tea, Kisuke nodded and said, "I'm sure the Young Master would be most grateful for the chance to relax outside in this beautiful weather rather than being cooped up here listening to the adults. Wouldn't you, Young Master?"

While a part of Ichigo wanted to prove that he was no weakling and almost old enough to be an adult, more of him wanted to be as far away from these proceedings as possible so he got up, bowed and said, "Yes, I would. Thank you for the refreshments," before walking out of the door with Rukia on his heels.

They wandered aimlessly about for a while before Ichigo noticed an open area with a garden, walkway, pond and bridge. He turned his steps in that direction when he noticed a group of kids between his and Rukia's age and maybe a year or two older gathered at the pond's edge.

One boy with bright blue hair and eyes and who looked about thirteen or fourteen said with a laugh, "You should have seen Hime's face when she took that kid his tray! I thought she was going to jump out of her skin there for a minute."

Another boy who was the same age as the first with jet black hair and leaning against a tree with his eyes closed said in a monotone, "I don't understand why we are being forced to serve tea to human trash like them."

Just as Ichigo was about to go charging over and pound the guy's face into the tree, a girl with long auburn hair grabbed the second boy's arm and said in a tone that was trying to scold, "Don't say such things, Ulquiorra! I've told you before that it's not nice to call other people trash!"

Opening his eyes slowly to look fixedly at the girl, Ulquiorra asked, "And what should I call them instead? What description should I use for those who have done nothing but attack us for over five hundred years, killing our people, stealing our livestock and ruining our crops and land?"

Leaning forward slightly, Ulquiorra asked, "What name should I give to those who killed your brother?"

If Ichigo had been any further away, he never would have heard the girl answer, "I don't know, but they are not trash. They are people just like you and me and I'm sure there are lots of nice people over there just like there are over here."

Flopping down behind the girl, the teen with blue hair said, "Keep telling yourself that, Hime. Guess you kind of have to if you're going to make it over there."

Another teen who looked about sixteen or seventeen with longish brown hair and who was lounging on the edge of the pond with his face in the shade so that he could nap, suddenly yawned and said, "If anyone can live successfully in the Kurosaki Clan, Orihime can. If she can't make them like her with her sweet nature than she can kill them off with her cooking."

With a loud cry, the girl turned around and said with a pout, "There is nothing wrong with my cooking! Just yesterday Tia said she had never had dumplings quite like the ones I made."

Beginning to laugh hysterically, the blue-haired boy sat up and said, "That's because no one's ever made dumplings with pork and honey mixed together!"

Suddenly, Ulquiorra said, "You two over there might as well come over and join us rather than eavesdropping. Or are members of the Kurosaki Clan too good to mingle with the likes of us?"

Temper rising again, Ichigo yanked himself away from Rukia's restraining hand and stomped over the bridge until he stood above the teen and ground out, "Say that again to my face."

Looking up at Ichigo with a blank and yet rather icy expression in his deep green eyes, Ulquiorra asked, "And what exactly would you like me to repeat?"

Before Ichigo could say another word, those same gray eyes from earlier jumped in front of Ulquiorra and the girl pleaded, "Please don't be angry with Ulquiorra," then with a small attempt at a smile, she said, "The water's nice and cool if you would like to relax your feet."

From behind him, Ichigo heard Rukia answer, "Thank you very much. I don't mind if I do," and then felt her brush past him, sit down and dip her bared feet into the water.

Returning her soft, gray gaze to Ichigo, the girl asked, "Is there anything I can get you? I know there weren't many refreshments given to you back there, so if you're still hungry…"

Shaking his head, Ichigo answered simply, "No, I'm fine."

With a smile, the girl said politely, "Then please allow me to introduce everyone," pointing a finger towards the sleeping boys under the tree and by the pond, "He's Ulquiorra and he's Starkk," gesturing towards the boy in the grass, "His name is Grimmjow," and finally laying a hand over her heart, "And my name is Orihime."

"I'm Ichigo," he replied before he pointed to Rukia and said, "She's Rukia."

Smiling and bowing first to him and then to Rukia, Orihime said, "It's a pleasure to meet you both."

Rukia returned the smile and said with as much of a bow as she could manage, "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

From behind him, Ichigo heard Grimmjow ask, "So, are you Hime's betrothed?"

Blushing furiously, Orihime stammered, "Grimmjow! Wh-wh-what a thing to ask?"

Sitting up and giving a careless shrug, Grimmjow said, "Well, I can't think of any other reason that he would be here unless he was the guy you're supposed to marry," with an almost evil smirk, he said, "Unless you're betrothed is that other guy with the long hair and fierce blue eyes."

Seeing Orihime's eyes widen with shock and Rukia about ready to give Grimmjow a piece of her mind over the possible insult given to her precious brother, Ichigo said quickly, "No, I'm the successor for the Kurosaki Clan," with a slight frown, Ichigo asked, "Why'd you ask?"

Lying back in the grass with his hands behind his head, Grimmjow answered, "Just making sure Hime's betrothed isn't a weakling or something. If you were, I'd beat you up and send you back home 'cause we wouldn't want you in our clan."

Turning over onto his back, Starkk cracked open one eye and said with a smirk, "Well, if leaders were chosen based solely on their strength in a fight then we would have had to kick Orihime out of her position long ago."

Before Ichigo could say anything, Orihime stamped her foot in frustration and he heard her close to tears as she said, "I practice every day to improve on my hand-to-hand skills and my sword fighting and my archery and learning about battle tactics and all of it, but it just doesn't come naturally to me like it does for all you guys! I try my best and it just doesn't work!"

After delivering that tirade, Orihime ran across the bridge and into another part of the compound. Without stopping to think, Ichigo took off after her. Eventually, he caught up with her and saw her pressed into a corner of one of the buildings, kneeling on the ground and sobbing her heart out. Coming up behind her, Ichigo just stood there for a while before he cleared his throat to try and get her attention.

When she turned her tear-stained face towards him, Ichigo asked, "You okay?"

Rubbing furiously at her face, Orihime was unsuccessful at making herself more presentable since she continued to cry as she answered, "I'm just fine! I tripped over a rock and fell hard onto the ground, but I'm fine now."

Kneeling down next to her, Ichigo looked at her pointedly as he said, "Tell me the truth."

Hanging her head so that her hair obscured most of her face, Orihime answered in a barely audible tone, "Grimmjow and Starkk are right. When it comes to fighting, I'm worse than useless."

Wrapping her hands around her shoulders, Orihime choked out, "I couldn't even save my brother. He was killed right in front of me and…and…and I could only stand there and watch."

Ichigo's stomach lurched as he asked, "Who killed your brother?"

Shaking her head, Orihime lifted her gaze to look straight at Ichigo as she said, "It doesn't matter."

"Yes it doe-"

With more force in her tone, Orihime interrupted, "No, it doesn't matter," then in her usual, soft voice, Orihime said, "It doesn't matter because our marriage is supposed to bring peace between your clan and mine. Both our clans have been hurt by this feud, so now is the time to put away our sorrows and move into a peaceful future together."

"Is that what you truly think?" asked Ichigo.

Giving Ichigo a bittersweet smile, Orihime said, "Yes. We've been fighting each other for long enough. It's time to move forward and I'll do anything to make sure we do."

Casting his gaze down, Ichigo said slowly, "Before I came here, I was so blinded by hate that I could barely see straight. Thoughts of how my mother and sisters were killed and my father was paralyzed kept flashing before my eyes," hearing Orihime's sharp intake of breath, Ichigo looked up and said forcefully, "I wanted to keep on fighting until my dying day just like we always have."

Seeing Orihime's start to fill up with tears and fear again, Ichigo impulsively reached out to grab her hand and said in a gentler tone, "But what you say makes far more sense. We are the leaders of our clans and everyone is looking to us to give them peace, young and inexperienced as we are."

Squeezing Orihime's hand, Ichigo confessed, "I was mostly angry with this whole thing because no one asked me if it was something I wanted to do. While I don't know how you felt when you heard about the marriage, let me ask you one question."

Leaning forward and taking both Orihime's hands in his, Ichigo asked in a husky tone, "Orihime, will you help me bring peace to both our clans by becoming my wife someday?"

With her eyes shining with happiness and tears, Orihime nodded her head and answered, "Yes…yes I will."

Giving her a small smile in return, Ichigo said, "All right then."

Six years later, Ichigo found himself walking down a road he had only traveled on once before, but remembered as if he had only walked it yesterday. Once again, he was accompanied by Kisuke, Yoruichi, Byakuya and Rukia, but added to their company was his father, who was borne along in a litter, Renji and Shuhei.

Once again scowling ferociously as he walked along, Ichigo ground out, "You'd better behave yourself once we get there, or I might just forget that you're a cripple and send you sailing into the pond."

From his place in the litter, Isshin threw his hands in the air and started wailing, "Why son? Why must you threaten your poor, old father so? What did I ever do to deserve such harsh treatment from you?"

Taking deep breaths in order to keep his temper in check, Ichigo replied, "I don't know. Maybe it's all those times you decided to send Kenpachi into my room before the crack of dawn to try and kill me. Or wait, maybe it's because you constantly make a fool of yourself whenever there's a decent looking woman around. And you're twice the fool when the girl's about my age."

Turning to stare pointedly at Isshin, Ichigo asked, "Aren't you the one who arranged my betrothal six years ago?"

Shrugging his shoulders and trying to look innocent, Isshin replied, "Well, no one said you couldn't go chasing after girls while you're still single. It's just not natural for a boy of your age to show absolutely no interest in women."

Opening and closing his mouth several times in utter shock, Ichigo stormed off down the path as he called over his shoulder, "You're the one who's not natural! Trying to force me to be…to be…"

Looking down at his wife of almost a year, Renji said in a surprised whisper, "Don't tell me Ichigo fell in love with that girl after only seeing her once."

Giving her husband a knowing smirk, Rukia replied, "Well, in most cases, I would say such a thing was nearly impossible. Besides, I don't think Ichigo fell head over heels in love with her in that sense, but something happened between them."

Lacing his fingers behind his head, Renji said, "So tell me again what happened."

Looking thoughtfully at the ground in front of her, Rukia replied, "Well, Ichigo and I went outside and met Orihime along with several others. The one named Starkk made a comment about Orihime not being very strong, she started crying and went running off somewhere. Ichigo took off after her and I followed slowly behind, since I didn't want to be left alone with those guys."

Smiling up at Renji, Rukia finished, "I never found them, but managed to make my way back to where Kisuke and the others were talking so I just waited there until they were done. When it came time to leave, Ichigo showed up with Orihime. While I can't be sure, it looked to me as though Orihime was leading Ichigo by the hand and the two of them had a look in their eyes as if they had come to a mutual understanding on their own."

Chuckling, Renji said, "Well, true or not, it certainly puts Ichigo in a new light. So the tough leader of the Kurosaki Clan does have a soft spot after all."

Elbowing Renji in the side, Rukia said playfully, "That's a bit like the pot calling the kettle black."

Giving Rukia a quizzical look, Renji asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Shaking her head, Rukia said, "Nothing in particular," pointing in front of her, Rukia said, "We're here."

This time when the entourage stepped through the gateway, there was an official reception waiting for them. Aizen stood in the middle with his usual grin in place and Orihime to his right. She looked highly pleased to see them if the blush on her cheeks, the way she would try to keep her fingers from gripping her clothes and how her eyes were constantly shifting from the ground and back up to look at the arriving guests.

Stepping up to the litter, Aizen bowed and said officiously, "Welcome, Master Kurosaki. I'm glad you felt up to the long journey so that you could be with us to witness this joyous occasion."

Inclining his head politely, Isshin replied, "I wouldn't miss the marriage of my son for anything."

Chuckling, Aizen said, "True, I can imagine you wouldn't."

Holding out his hand, Aizen said, "Since you weren't here six years ago, you were not able to be introduced to your daughter-in-law," grasping Orihime's hand and drawing her towards the litter, Aizen said, "May I introduce you to Orihime Inoue."

Sinking into a deep, courteous bow, Orihime said softly, "Sir, I am honored to meet you."

Reaching out to cup Orihime's chin so that he could look into her eyes, Isshin said sincerely, "And I am honored to meet you, my dear."

With a wink to her that Ichigo could not see, Isshin went on, "I certainly hope my son is able to be responsible enough to take care of you."

Before Ichigo could protest, Orihime smiled at Isshin and Ichigo in turn as she said, "I suppose we shall have to take care of each other from now on."

Turning to give his son a huge grin, Isshin chuckled as he mouthed, "Ooh, I like her already."

Once again Ichigo's protests were cut off as Aizen said, "Well, come inside everyone. The celebration feast will begin shortly."

During the feast, everyone seemed to be in high spirits. According to tradition, the Kurosaki Clan ate on one side of the room while the Inoue Clan sat on the other. While everyone on both sides professed to be willing to follow the peace treaty to the letter, there was always a chance that taking things too quickly would set tempers ablaze.

Sitting close to Renji, Rukia and Shuhei, Ichigo found himself trying to surreptitiously glance over at his future bride. In the six years since he had last seen her, Orihime had certainly matured into an elegant and beautiful young woman. Her hair was even longer, fuller and with more body to the slightly curling tresses. Her figure had also filled out nicely and Ichigo had to admit that even if he wasn't always someone who paid attention to physical beauty, he was highly attracted by Orihime's looks. But more than her physical attributes, Orihime had added to her beauty by the self-confidence, intelligence and kindness that seemed to seep from her every pore.

Apparently, Ichigo wasn't quite as subtle in his glances as he could have wished as Renji nudged him in the side and said teasingly, "So, checking out your fine looking bride?"

Scowling over at Renji as he stuffed another bite of food in his mouth, Ichigo growled, "I'm not checking her out."

Rolling her eyes, Rukia said, "Oh please Ichigo. We can all see you ogling her."

Glaring at Rukia, Ichigo whispered fiercely, "I am not ogling Orihime."

Speaking up to try and diffuse the explosive argument about to erupt, Shuhei said, "Well, I may not have met her six years ago, but Orihime certainly seems like she'll be a good wife for you," giving Ichigo a encouraging grin, he said, "Like Master Kurosaki said, I hope you'll make her happy."

To himself, Ichigo mumbled, "Yeah, I hope so."

A little while later, Ichigo got up to stretch his legs as the servants had started bringing in sake and he didn't want to be anywhere nearby when his dad started drinking. Breathing in the fresh air, Ichigo yawned and began wandering aimlessly through the seemingly deserted settlement. Eventually, Ichigo somehow managed to end up on the same bridge by the same pond where he had met Orihime.

Leaning against the railing of the bridge, Ichigo allowed his mind to wonder, like it sometimes did, about what had happened that day six years ago. He had come into the Inoue settlement prepared to continue hating everyone inside and yet when he had left, his feelings had been completely opposite. While he wouldn't say that he had begun loving them, much less completely forgiven them for what they had done, Ichigo did feel as though he could view them as humans who deserved a second chance. As those who had been hurt just as badly as his own clan. And that miraculous change had happened because he met the girl he was supposed to marry.

Sensing something, Ichigo turned around to see Orihime walking towards him. From the way she was looking up at the sky and smiling, Ichigo could tell that she had not purposefully followed him, but something within him warmed at the thought that her footsteps had brought her his way. Standing up to his full height, Orihime seemed to notice the movement as her gaze lowered and their eyes connected.

For a time, neither spoke until finally Orihime broke the silence, saying softly, "It's been a long time."

Nodding, Ichigo said simply, "Yes it has."

Another pause and then Orihime said with a smile in her voice, "It's good to see you again."

Trying to fight the blush beginning to creep up his neck, Ichigo cleared his throat and answered, "Yeah. It's good to see you too."

Letting out a soft, musical laugh, Orihime came forward and said, "If it weren't for your hair and eyes, I might not have recognized you."

In answer to Ichigo's confused look, Orihime said, "You've grown much taller," reaching out to take one of his calloused hands between her own, she said, "and it looks like you've gotten even stronger these past six years."

Fingers twitching slightly as he felt her soft, delicate fingers massage the muscles in his hand, Ichigo said, "Yeah, I guess I have," then his fingers closed over hers as he said, "You've grown up too."

Squeezing her fingers gently, Ichigo said, "Even though you've grown up, though, I recognized you right away."

Gently pulling her fingers out of Ichigo's grasp, Orihime walked over to lean against the railing and gaze up at the moon as she said, "May I ask you something?"

"Sure."

There was a slightly pause before Orihime asked slowly, "Do you think it's possible to fall in love with someone you've only met once?"

It was Ichigo's turn to think for a time before he answered, "I'm not entirely sure that it is possible since you don't really know the person."

Seeing Orihime's shoulders begin to droop, Ichigo took a step forward as he went on, "However, I think that the foundation can be laid that the two people can build upon in the future."

Standing directly behind Orihime, Ichigo said, "Love isn't only about being attracted to the other person and being enamored with how they look. It's about respect, honesty, having a common goal and being faithful to the other no matter what comes their way. Caring more about what happens to the person they love then themselves."

Placing his hands gently on Orihime's shoulders, Ichigo said in a husky whisper, "While I won't say 'I love you' just yet, I'd be lying if I said that I haven't thought about you at least once every day these last six years."

Feeling Orihime's hand reach up to cover his, Ichigo finished with, "Before we're married, I want you to understand that I am marrying you because I want to marry you, not because we have to."

Leaning her head back against Ichigo's chest, Orihime said warmly, "I understand," then looking up at Ichigo she said, "I feel the same way."

Unseen by either of them, Aizen stood observing the betrothed couple with a knowing smirk on his lips. Standing next to him was Ulquiorra looking on with his usual emotionless gaze.

Without looking at Ulquiorra, Aizen asked in a low tone, "You remember your orders?"

In an equally soft monotone, Ulquiorra answered, "Yes sir."

Nodding in approval, Aizen turned and began walking back towards the settlement as he said, "Very good then. I'll leave it to you then."

As soon as Aizen was out of sight, Ulquiorra strode towards the bridge. As he expected, both Ichigo and Orihime turned to look at him as he approached and immediately they released their hold on the other, trying to look as nonchalant as possible.

Frowning slightly at the interruption (and at being caught), Ichigo asked rather brusquely, "Yes, what is it?"

Not one to mince words, Ulquiorra said bluntly, "I want you to fight me."

The next morning, Orihime slowly opened her eyes and squinted against the early morning light that was causing her aching head to throb painfully. She attempted to push herself up, but her vision went fuzzy and it felt as though the world was spinning, so she lay back down until her head cleared.

When she could see again, Orihime looked about her and several people sitting near her, so she asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "What happened?"

One of the maidservants shifted and asked, "What do you remember, Mistress?"

Closing her eyes, Orihime said slowly, "I remember Ulquiorra challenging Ichigo and then Ichigo refusing. Ulquiorra wouldn't take no for an answer, so I tried to step in and the last thing I remember is stumbling into Ulquiorra and then everything went black."

Opening her eyes again, Orihime repeated, "So what happened?"

The servants exchanged looks as if trying to convince the other to say something, when Aizen's voice rumbled out, "They fought each other and Ichigo broke the peace treaty when he killed Ulquiorra."

Eyes snapping over to meet Aizen's gaze, Orihime protested, "But I just said that it was Ulquiorra who demanded that Ichigo fight in the first place. Ichigo didn't do anything wrong."

Shaking his head, Aizen replied, "It matters little who started the fight, merely that there was a fight at all. Also, because it was a fight to the death, that makes the crime even more heinous."

Looking away, Orihime tried to keep her emotions under control as she asked, "What is to become of Ichigo?"

"Well, since he broke the treaty, his life is forfeit," Orihime did her best to suppress her moan of despair as Aizen went on, "However, the Kurosaki Clan is claiming that because Ulquiorra attacked and seriously wounded Ichigo to begin with that he didn't break the treaty as it was a matter of self-defense."

With those words, Orihime's heart lurched slightly as she asked, "How seriously was Ichigo injured?"

"I'm not sure," replied Aizen, "However, from what I heard, some were amazed that he was able to survive the night."

Struggling to sit up, Orihime fought against the dizziness threatening to overwhelm her as she said, "Please help me up. I need to go and talk with them."

For his part, Ichigo had spent most of the night in and out of consciousness, but all the while feeling a constant barrage of pain. Whether sharp and burning or dull and aching, Ichigo could remember it all. Finally managing to open his eyes and focus on the things around him, images from the previous mind tormented him as the full comprehension of what he had done fell heavily upon his shoulders.

It would have been better if someone, anyone, besides the Inoue's were to blame him for what had happened. They all claimed to understand why he had done what he had done because it was self-defense and they would have done the same, but they just didn't understand. He had ruined everything. The six years of relative peace were now to be overshadowed by more feuding and bloodshed on both sides. They were back to where they had started from.

Suddenly, a voice inquired, "Apologies for the interruption, but our mistress would like to speak with you all. May she come in?"

Struggling to prop himself up, Ichigo called back before anyone could stop him, "Yes, in just a moment," before he whispered furiously at Shuhei and Renji, "Help me sit up," which they reluctantly did.

When Ichigo gave the signal, Orihime and Aizen were ushered inside. To Ichigo's relief, Orihime didn't seem any the worse for wear. She appeared to be highly agitated and slightly unsteady, but all right nevertheless. If the softening of her eyes was any indication, Ichigo would also guess that she was relieved to see him as well.

Then Kisuke spoke up in the most civil tone he could muster, "And what can we do for you?"

Turning her gaze towards Kisuke, Orihime asked in a small voice, "I wanted to see how my husband-to-be was doing. I heard he had been injured, so I came over here to see for myself if there was anything I could do."

In a slightly less frosty tone, Kisuke asked, "You still wish to be married to him?"

Frowning slightly, Orihime nodded and said, "Yes, of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"

Aizen spoke up, "Because he has broken the peace treaty and killed one from our clan."

Snapping his fan shut, Kisuke said slowly, "Only after he was forced into the fight and merely trying to protect himself from his attacker."

With a smirk, Aizen asked smoothly, "Where is your proof of that accusation? Our mistress was incapacitated before the fight began and the only other witness to the fight is lying dead."

His smile widening a little more, Aizen said, "Blood calls for blood."

For an instant, Ichigo and Orihime met each other's gaze. Everything they had wished and hoped for was beginning to fall apart before their eyes. The words spoken the night before were going to become empty promises unless…

Closing her eyes and thinking quickly, Orihime interjected, "Very well then. Ichigo and I will settle this matter once and for all."

Everyone turned their attention to Orihime as she said with conviction, "Because Ichigo and I are both the leaders of the Kurosaki and Inoue clans, it is only fitting that we settle this dispute ourselves."

Seeing an opportunity as well, Aizen said quickly, "Very well then. The only fair way to settle this is to have a duel to the death. The victor will be the head of both clans and will be able to reinstate the peace treaty over all."

And so, Ichigo and Orihime faced off against the other with both clans looking on in silence. It was all Ichigo could do to remain standing after having lost a lot of blood during his fight with Ulquiorra. His right arm had also been hurt badly enough that he was forced to grip his sword in his left hand.

Looking at the ground, Ichigo went over in his mind what his plan was. As soon as the signal was given, he was going to charge at Orihime and then drop his weapon at the last second so that she would be the victor. While he wanted to go on living, Ichigo also knew that only one of them was going to survive this fight. Not only did he want her to win because he knew that his wounds were too severe for proper treatment, but he also knew that he could trust Orihime to rule wisely over the Kurosaki Clan. It had been her words that had first caused him to think that peace between their clans might be possible.

His mind snapped back to the present as he heard Orihime say something.

"Ichigo, do you remember the promise we made as children?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo saw the signal banner being raised.

"Yeah, I remember."

The banner seemed to be frozen in mid-air, but Ichigo knew that it was going to be dropped at any second. His attention was once again arrested when Orihime said something that made his heart stop.

"I'm sorry I couldn't bring peace to our clans alongside you, but I will do what I can so that there will be peace."

As he saw the banner drop, Ichigo heard Orihime's final words.

"I love you, Ichigo."

And with that, Ichigo dropped his sword and ran.

Even though Orihime had never been good at sword fighting, there was no way she was going to miss stabbing her own heart. As she crumpled to the ground, Ichigo saw a tear drop from her eye while her face relaxed into her signature smile.

Catching her up in his arms, Ichigo buried his face against her still warm neck and simply rocked back and forth. The tears simply would not come, but inside it felt as though fire, ice and needles were tearing his body apart.

The headlong run had reopened nearly all of Ichigo's wounds, so that he began to bleed out what little blood he had left. The onlookers could only manage to stare as the lifeblood from the young Kurosaki and Inoue leaders mingled together.

Summoning up a surge of energy, Ichigo lifted his head to look at the crowd as he said, "Neither of us asked to get married, but we chose to accept each other. We both wanted to bring peace to our clans, and now we've given our lives for that peace."

Looking back down at Orihime, Ichigo finished with, "Don't let it all be in vain."

Laying Orihime gently on the ground, Ichigo weakly supported himself over her as he brushed a strand of hair away from her face and said, "I'll say it again when I see you," leaning down to place his lips against hers, he whispered, "but I just want to say that I love you too."

Over the spot where Ichigo and Orihime were buried side by side, the first foundation stone was laid where the new settlement for both the Kurosaki and Inoue Clans was built.

**Author's Note:**

Okay, once again, credit where credit is due. After seeing the prompt 'Ichigo and Orihime dying next to each other', I immediately thought of Gennosuke and Oboro from Basilisk. So, once again, if you have seen or read it before, then you will probably recognize some of the elements from there. It's also something of a Romeo and Juliet story, so if that's what you were thinking of as you read it, then you are pretty close as well.

Anyway, at this point in time, I am extremely tired, so I hope there were no really major issues with this story. Other than the fact that it was tragedy and I didn't fully explain what Aizen's plan was in the end (which, let's face it, we never really know the whole scheme anyways), if there was anything else that really bugged you, let me know and either I'll try to fix it when I'm actually functioning again or will try and explain things better.

Also, I left the ending rather open-ended as to what could have happened after Ichigo and Orihime died up to your interpretation. I had initially wanted to devote a bit of time at the end to explaining what happened, but then my brain started giving out and I just couldn't think anymore so I left it alone. Now, (this is an edit I'm adding the morning after, just fyi) I think that it actually kind of works. It's up to you guys to imagine whether Aizen successfully takes over both clans and rules over both, or if Isshin and Kisuke and other level-headed people like Starkk from the Inoue's create some sort of democracy within the two clans or if you come up with some other ending. It's really up to you and your imagination since all I say is that both clans do end up under the same roof. :)

Despite the sad ending, I do hope you enjoyed my idea for this prompt.


	5. Rock Band AU

"A.Q.E.S. to the wings please! You're on in five!"

Final checks were made on make-up and costumes before they were sent over to the sound guys for last minute battery and equipment checks. Then an assistant went scrambling backstage to try and find an extra guitar pick before the group of musicians went on.

At long last, a voice boomed over the speakers, "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the 25th Annual Shining Stars Studio's Musical Extravaganza! The concert held to celebrate this year's headlining groups, old favorites and up and musical talent from Shining Stars Studio!"

The lights began to dim as the voice finished dramatically, "So, without any further ado, put your hands together for this year's top rock band of heartthrobs for the third year in a row…A.Q.E.S.!"

With practiced ease, each band member took their place onstage while the crowd roared with approval. Waiting until the noise only just began to die down, the lead singer and guitar player, Shuhei Hisagi, started up the opening riff for their most recent chart-topping hit 'Can Do', which caused the audience to scream even louder than before.

Twirling his drumsticks effortlessly, drummer and back-up vocalist Ichigo Kurosaki took up the tempo set by Shuhei along with the other band members. Uryu Ishida on bass and Renji Abarai playing the keyboard stood bobbing to the beat towards stage left while on stage right Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez on a synthesizer and Kira Izuru on the guitar added in their parts.

Even with his attention divided between making sure he stayed in sync with everyone while providing a solid rhythmic foundation for them, Ichigo couldn't help the slight grin on his face as he heard the females in the crowd wailing with delight as Shuhei began singing. With his piercing dark gray eyes glittering out from beneath his purposefully messy and spiky black hair, plus his '69' tattoo and signature choker, Shuhei was the ultimate bad boy image. However, what really got the girls was how his image did not mesh with his personality. While he might look and sound like a hard rocker onstage, off-stage he was just a sweet, down-to-earth and hard-working guy.

The real 'bad boy' of the group was Grimmjow, with his jet black hair streaked liberally with neon blue color that matched his signature blue eyes and surrounding eye-liner. On-stage during a performance, Grimmjow was just fine, but once his feet left that stage it was a guessing game as to what he would do. Sometimes he would be apathetic and stand-offish to everyone, at other times he would be loud and abrasive and sometimes rather vulgar. There had been at least three occasions when Grimmjow had picked fights with the paparazzi and once when he had nearly attacked some especially annoying anti-fans. The worst of it was that he could switch from one mood to the next on a dime, so his band-mates, the security guards and their manager were constantly on the alert when Grimmjow was in public.

"And yet most girls still swoon when he looks their way," thought Ichigo wryly as he pushed up the sleeves of his plain, long-sleeved, black shirt in the short break he had at the beginning of the second verse.

Looking up, Ichigo's eyes connected with Renji's and the other grinned as he nodded out towards the audience. As he automatically played through the rather syncopated segue way into the second chorus, Ichigo saw what Renji was smirking about. A girl in the front row who couldn't have been more than fourteen had a huge poster that read 'Mi hert signs for u, Shuhei!' which probably should have read 'My heart sings for you' but at least she had gotten Shuhei's name right.

After reading the sign, Ichigo gave Renji a similar smirk and made a mental note to watch what the girl did as Shuhei played his solo during the bridge. Sure enough, the poor girl didn't seem to be able to take a breath as her idol's fingers moved skillfully across the strings and ended up nearly within an inch of the fingerboard's end on the last note. Finally, as Shuhei inhaled to sing the segue way into the final chorus, the girl did so as well. Frankly it wouldn't have surprised Ichigo if she would have passed out…others had certainly done so at their concerts before. However, now that they were in the final chorus, Ichigo couldn't spare any time to think about the audience or anything else but the music as he had several tricky passages to execute before the final chord.

As the song came to a close, Ichigo looked up to synchronize his last note with everyone else by looking at Shuhei to give the signal. He held the chord a little longer than in rehearsal, but finally Ichigo saw Shuhei lift the end of his guitar and drop it down to show the final note.

Letting the crowd applaud for about five seconds, Ichigo then played his opening run for their new hit single 'Core Pride', which also gave their guest musician, saxophonist Gin Ichimaru, time to get in place before his opening solo. What the fans really loved about this song was that they could now hear Grimmjow's voice during the half-rapping, half-singing sections in the beginning and towards the middle. Shuhei still took over during the singing, but Grimmjow's adoring fans went wild the moment they heard him.

Noticing his shoulders and arms were beginning to tense up, Ichigo relaxed his tight grip on his sticks and felt the rest of his muscles relax slightly as a result. He also consciously relaxed his calf and thigh muscles and felt an improvement as well. No sense in seriously injuring himself during a performance. Even though stage jitters never fully went away over time, Ichigo had learned from experience that the best way to get through a performance was to remain relaxed and in control of yourself.

The next thing he knew, the second song of their five song set was ending and it was his cue to lead them straight into the third song, 'JAP'. Ichigo especially enjoyed the opening of this song since it allowed him to use an instrument that he had long been saying that the group needed to incorporate somehow: the cowbell. While the others had said that it would never catch on, Ichigo had only smirked at them in triumph when the song soared to the top of the charts a little over two weeks after being released.

All too soon, the song ended, so Ichigo cracked his neck, rolled his shoulders and adjusted his microphone for the next number. When A.Q.E.S. was still in their first year and quickly gaining in popularity, the producers and the group's manager had somehow convinced Ichigo to sing the lead and play the drums for the song 'Overlap'. Since he figured that it would probably be one of the songs on the album only die-hard fans would listen to and know about, Ichigo had agreed. Unfortunately, it had been played during one of the groups interviews on TV, so then everyone had wanted to get their hands on the song.

As he sang, not for the first time was Ichigo grateful that he had thought ahead enough to only put a basic drum riff underneath the song. It was extremely repetitive and would have been mind-numbingly boring if he had only been playing, but because of that, Ichigo was able to divide his attention easily between playing and remembering the words correctly.

Moving out of the second verse and into the chorus, Ichigo made eye contact with Uryu and then Shuhei as they sang back-up for him. Both of them grinning at him as if to say 'Almost done', to which Ichigo nodded slightly in agreement. One good perk of being the Shining Stars Studio's headlining act was that the group got to pick when they would perform, so now they always said they would go first and get it over with.

At last, the song was over and Uryu waited while the crowd went wild for a bit before making eye contact with Shuhei and starting off their biggest song ever: 'Ranbu no Melody'. A lot of the time, singers came to dislike their hit single songs as they were always expected to perform it at concerts, but Ichigo found that he liked this song more and more as he played it. Maybe it was because he could really show off his skills and add extra riffs here and there just to make it more interesting for himself. Also it could be because they usually programmed it at the very end, so the song meant that they were almost done.

In the final chorus, Ichigo heard and felt everyone putting in extra effort to really end the song with a bang, so Ichigo shook the sweat out of his eyes and adjusted his grip on his sticks as he increased the level of his performance. When the end of the song came, with a final cymbal roll, Ichigo allowed himself to fully relax for a moment before standing up, holding his drumsticks high and drinking in the screaming approval of the crowd.

"Thank you very much!" cried Shuhei, "Thank you very much! We are A.Q.E.S. and we hope you enjoy the rest of the performances!"

And with that, they all left the stage.

Next on the schedule of events was a quick, five-minute stage change so that the next act, a vocal pop trio called Salty Sweet Spice, could come out along with four male, back-up dancers.

While the stage was being cleared, the MC came out to chat with the crowd for a bit, but Ichigo followed his band-mates to a back room where they could watch the rest of the performances on a TV while relaxing on over-stuffed, leather couches. Flopping down on the end seat of one and stretching out his legs in front of him, Ichigo let out a sigh of relief as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Shuhei grinned at Ichigo as he sat next to him and chuckled, "Well, they seemed to like our singing once again."

Returning Shuhei's grin, Ichigo said in a mock confused tone, "Yeah, I can't imagine why, though. It's not like we do anything that incredible."

"And how are my pretty boys doing tonight?"

Rangiku Matsumoto breezed into the room with a rustle of fabric (it seemed odd to Ichigo that there could be so much fabric in an outfit and yet none of it managed to cover the most important parts…like her cleavage) and a click of high, flashing stilettos. About five or six years ago, Rangiku had been Shining Stars Studio's top selling solo artist, but for some reason, she had chosen to step out of the limelight and try her hand at managing musical groups. When A.Q.E.S. had first been put together, Rangiku had accepted the position as well as becoming something of a style-coach, musical critic and all around 'go-to' woman for the band.

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo groaned, "Would you quit calling us 'pretty boys' already? It's irritating."

Putting her hands on her hips, Rangiku said matter-of-factly, "It rolls off the tongue so much easier though. If I had to call you 'good-looking teens' or 'party hard rockers', it just wouldn't be the same."

Chuckling, Renji asked dryly, "What about 'dashing young men'?"

Pursing her lips, Rangiku said thoughtfully, "That might work," then she shook her head and said, "but I still like 'pretty boys' better."

Before anyone could say anything else, the next act came onstage and started their performance.

Like most pop groups, Salty Sweet Spice was popular mostly for their singing and dancing abilities during their performances. However, unlike some groups, these girls could actually sing and dance their entire set without having to resort to lip-syncing.

The group consisted of Riruka Dokugamine, Loly Avirrine and Menoly Mallia and each were given equal amounts of solo and background singing. Their trademark costume accessory consisted of a sheer eye patch which would cover Loly's left eye, Menoly's right eye and a kind of half-mask to cover both of Riruka's magenta eyes. The name of the group came about as a kind of description for each girl with Menoly being 'salty', Riruka being 'sweet' and Loly being 'spice'.

The electronic arpeggios signaled the beginning of their signature piece, 'Sweet Romance'. At the back of the stage, flashing lights showed the singers' silhouettes as Riruka began singing the intro. Then the stage was flooded with light as the girls moved into their first positions along with their respective back-up dancers while the intro finished up.

As Riruka began singing the first verse, Ichigo felt someone tap him on the shoulder and he turned to meet Grimmjow's grinning face. Warily, Ichigo asked Grimmjow what he wanted and his grin broadened a little as he nodded towards the screen.

"Ever wonder why Riruka always insists on having a ginger haired guy dancing with her?"

Shrugging his shoulders and turning back around, Ichigo replied nonchalantly, "No, not really."

Actually, Rangiku had clued him in on that little secret about two months ago. Ichigo didn't let on that he knew about Riruka's crush on him because first of all it might turn really awkward really fast. Second, she was a nice girl and it wasn't like she was being all creepy/stalker on him, so Ichigo didn't really mind. And lastly, deep down, he was rather flattered. It was one thing to have a whole bunch of fangirls you didn't know posting pictures of you on their wall, but when it was someone you actually knew…it was a little different. However, Ichigo made sure to be extra careful around Riruka so that he wouldn't give her the wrong idea partially because he didn't want to be unkind and partially because he didn't want some version of the 'tell all story' to land on the cover of magazines everywhere.

To Ichigo's immense relief, Grimmjow decided to leave him alone when Rangiku yelled something about Grimmjow being careless onstage again and losing one of his costume jewelry pieces. Turning his attention back to the screen, Ichigo saw that the girls were towards the end of their dance routine during the bridge and were gearing up to finish the song soon.

As Salty Sweet Spice went into the final chorus, a backstage hand poked his head inside the door, breathed a sigh of relief and called out, "Miss Matsumoto, you're on after the next number."

Turning her piercing blue eyes on the unsuspecting young man, Rangiku snapped, "I am well aware of when I'm due onstage, thank you very much."

Hiding his smirk as best he could when Rangiku turned and continued berating Grimmjow for not taking better care of his stuff, Ichigo turned to see Shuhei mouth over to the dumb-struck and rather fearful stage hand, "Don't worry about it. You're fine," which the guy saw and looked relieved about. When dealing with prima donnas, one couldn't be too careful.

On the TV, Ichigo heard the final two electric chords boom out and then the crowds go crazy. Riruka, Loly and Menoly held their final pose for an extra four to five seconds before bowing to acknowledge the crowd's approval.

Evidently hearing the applause and knowing she was due in the wings, Rangiku waved a warning finger at Grimmjow saying, "We're not finished here," before breezing out of the room again and leaving behind a miniature cloud of perfume and hair-spray for her 'pretty boys' choke on for a few seconds.

Even though she was no longer a regular recording artist, every year or so Rangiku would perform for the annual Shining Studios Concert and other events if only to remind the audience (and possibly the studio big-shots) just how amazing and popular she was. However, Rangiku's reputation wasn't some fabricated thing since she really was quite talented.

Leaning back and closing his eyes, Ichigo listened to the rather garbled sounds of his band mates chatting and sometimes bickering with one another, the audience continuing to scream to the high heavens (really seriously, how could regular humans continue doing that to their voices without stopping for a break?) and Salty Sweet Spice going through their second and final number 'Minna Daisuki', which was always a crowd favorite.

Next thing he knew, Ichigo felt someone shaking his shoulder and saying, "Hey, Ichigo. They're on."

Blinking and stretching, Ichigo focused his eyes on the screen and saw Rangiku giving her final bows and thanking the crowd for being so wonderful. Apparently, he had cat-napped through both her numbers, 'Winter Bells' and 'Eternal Snow' (which some fans claimed had been written by Rangiku about her supposedly 'secret relationship with Gin Ichimaru…sometimes it was scary just how close those fans could get with their guesses…the two weren't in a relationship, they were actually engaged, but wanted to keep it quiet because it was more fun for both of them for some reason) and now he felt refreshed as he sat up slightly to watch the next and final act go onstage.

Sending Rangiku off the stage with a bow and a kiss on her hand, the MC turned to the crowd and said, "Well, we're nearly at the end of the musical portion of this Extravaganza, so I hope you all are ready to give a warm welcome to this next group."

A spotlight shone on the MC so that the backstage was dark and it could be reset for the next group. Once again, the stagehands outdid themselves as they were able to pull out all the necessary props, instruments and equipment with lightning accuracy and speed, yet still able to do so without making a racket.

"This next group made their national debut last year at this very event and have spent the following months gradually building up their reputation around the world," continued the MC, "You know them as…Chappy Fanatics! Come on out ladies!"

Even though Ichigo couldn't see her at first with the stage lights still off, he heard Tatsuki Arisawa give the countdown on her high hat, do a short run on her toms and give a final downbeat before the lights flooded the stage and Rukia Kuchiki started singing the opening melody of their song 'Hitohira no Hanabira'. Center stage with the mic stand in front of her, Rukia was one of the few lead singers of a group who also played bass and Ichigo couldn't think of very many bass players, besides maybe Uryu, who was quite as nimble with their fingers. How she managed to play her bass so well and yet keep nasty looking blisters from appearing on her fingers, Ichigo had sometimes wondered about, but not really enough to ask her.

Another rather different feature of the group was the main piano player and back-up singer, Orihime Inoue. As per her preference, Orihime would play on a baby grand piano to bring an acoustic element to the group. Even though she had been classically trained since the age of six, Orihime learned how to read and improvise using a lead sheet when Tatsuki had said their group needed another piano player.

The other players of Chappy Fanatics (the name Rukia had insisted they call themselves…and no one had really objected to begin with) included Ichigo's sister Karin on lead guitar, Nemu Kurotsuchi on rhythm guitar and Momo Hinamori playing synthesizer and other special effects when needed.

The song they were playing is the one they had debuted with last year and Ichigo was pleased to note that the crowd was singing along with lots of gusto. After panning the stage, the video feed cut to show a pubescent boy with rather shaggy hair holding up a sign that read 'Rukia, marry me!' and another boy next to him holding up a poster that had each band members' picture on it with a huge heart around the photos.

From over to his left, Ichigo heard Grimmjow say, "Well, Rukia seems to be in fine form tonight," to which he heard Renji say, "Yeah, just like always."

For himself, while Ichigo liked this song as well as the one coming next, he was rather anxious to hear the third number of the girls' set. The Chappy Fanatic's manager, Toshiro Hitsugaya, had decided to have the group debut another song tonight and Ichigo had yet to hear even a piece of it. It had been something of a 'hush-hush' project in the studio (which was really hard to pull off in the first place), so Ichigo wanted to know what all the secrecy had been for.

The end of the first song finally came and Ichigo found his hands and feet automatically playing the drum parts for their next song 'Zoetrope'. This song had been skillfully written and arranged to really show off Rukia and Tatsuki's skills on their instruments. It also gave Orihime a chance to use some more of her classical piano training with several runs between verses and choruses and a final glissando on the segue way into the final chorus.

At last, the final note sounded and the girls waited as the crowds went wild for a few seconds. Ichigo felt himself leaning forward slightly in anticipation of what was coming next. As the camera panned the stage again, Ichigo noticed another performer coming out and settling himself about three feet away from the drum set. It took Ichigo a few moments, but he finally recognized the guest player as Ulquiorra Cifer, a prolific cello player employed by the studio to play in their string orchestra when needed, but who also sometimes took over as a producer for albums.

Holding up her hand to the audience, Rukia said, "Thank you all for your support tonight! We certainly hope you are enjoying your evening," then she waited for the shouting to die down somewhat before she said, "We are debuting this song tonight together with Mr. Ulquiorra Cifer on cello and…" Rukia paused dramatically before she announced, "our own Orihime Inoue singing the lead. So we hope you enjoy our newest song called 'Nee'!"

The stage lights dimmed, leaving Orihime in the spotlight. She smiled sweetly but with a slight hint of uneasiness at the crowd before looking back at her piano and taking a few deep breaths. Then she closed her eyes, took one last breath and simultaneously played her first chord and sang the first notes of the song.

It had been worth the wait, of that much Ichigo was certain. Orihime's clear, sweet soprano carried easily through the speakers and her fingers seemed to stroke the keys rather than press them down. In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but be rather impressed at how effortlessly she seemed to sing the octave leap in the chorus part, but most of his attention was on the lyrics of the song. It was a bittersweet message about unrequited love and Ichigo seemed to sense every emotion Orihime felt as she sang the words.

All too soon, Orihime played the final arpeggio on the piano and let the sound fade away. With a jolt, Ichigo realized that the audience had been just as spellbound as himself because it was a full five seconds after the last note faded before anyone reacted. Ichigo couldn't help but grin as he saw Orihime jump slightly when the audience finally found their voices to let her know how much they had enjoyed the song. It wouldn't surprise him at all if while she had been singing, Orihime had completely forgotten where she was and what she was doing.

Giving the audience a shy little wave, Orihime said, "Thank you very much. We'll go on to our final song now called 'God Knows'," which was an obvious treat for the crowd.

Once again, Tatsuki started things off with two taps on her high hat and a short run before Ichigo heard Karin take off with her infamous guitar solo. While many people called the seventeen year old girl a 'prodigy', Ichigo knew just how much hard work and practice hours Karin had put in to playing the guitar as well as she did. Just like with Orihime's singing, Ichigo couldn't help but grin as he felt and heard his younger sister's love for her guitar and music sounding over the loudspeakers.

During the bridge, everyone cut out except for Tatsuki and Rukia on their instruments while Orihime would softly echo what Rukia sang. Slowly as the music built back up, Ichigo felt the tension and pressure mount as Karin came back in and Rukia and Orihime sang together as loud as they could (without shouting of course) as they moved into a dramatic key change and the final chorus. It might have just been his imagination, but Ichigo also thought that Tatsuki might have picked up the tempo slightly to really get the crowd going there at the end.

It was a full minute and a half before Chappy Fanatics were allowed to leave the stage and an extra thirty seconds until the MC settled them down again for the Q&A. This was one part of the Extravaganza that Ichigo always dreaded participating in because who knew what these people were going to ask and the studio made their performers answer questions as best they could. Only once could Ichigo remember someone being allowed not to answer a question and that was because the person had asked the artist to confirm some sort of conspiracy theory about how the studio treated their musical talent.

Chairs were set up onstage and all the musical groups sat on different risers. Name cards were placed in front of each member in case the audience member asking the question couldn't remember someone's name.

The first four questions were actually comments that turned out to be confessions of love: two for Shuhei, one for Rukia and one for Rangiku. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Then came two girls who asked Riruka what hair products she preferred and then Loly the same question. Next up were three more declarations of love with the tally being Shuhei-3, Rukia-2, Rangiku-1 and Renji-1. A few more questions about pets, favorite TV shows, five more love declarations (Shuhei-4, Rukia-3, Rangiku-2, Renji-1, Uryu-1, Grimmjow-1), a question about a childhood home, four more declarations (Shuhei-4, Rukia-4, Grimmjow-3, Rangiku-2, Renji-1, Uryu-1, Karin-1 (after the guy did it, Ichigo gave him a long, hard stare which the guy didn't see…thankfully for him)), a comment about Rukia's choice of costume (of course all the girls in the group had to wear some sort of Chappy stuff, but Rukia always wore at least seven Chappy items on her person at all times) and then another five declarations which took the tally to Shuhei-5, Rukia-4, Grimmjow-4, Rangiku-2, Renji-2, Uryu-2, Tatsuki-1 (even Tatsuki had not been sure how to react to that one since it had never happened before) and Karin-1.

Having settled himself comfortably in his seat and totally prepared to just wait through the Q&A like he normally did, Ichigo almost didn't hear the girl with the microphone say hesitantly, "Umm…this question is for Ichigo."

Looking blankly around for a moment, Ichigo snapped out of his stupor when Uryu surreptitiously dug his elbow into Ichigo's ribs, which caused him to splutter, "Y-yes?"

Eyes flitting nervously between the ground and his face, the girl asked, "Well, I read somewhere that you and Tatsuki were childhood friends and that you both studied from the same percussion teacher…"

Leaning forward slightly as he waited for her to finish the question, Ichigo finally repeated, "Yes?" then added, "Yes we did grow up together and yes we did take from the same teacher."

"And I was always better than him," said Tatsuki bluntly as she tried to break the tension on the poor girl.

Giggling slightly, the girl tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she asked, "Well, I was wondering if you had any feelings for her," she paused again before she finished, "because she's your childhood friend and all."

Ichigo's only reaction was to let his mouth hang open for a moment, "Ummm…" before looking over at Tatsuki helplessly, to which she only returned his rather bemused expression, so he said slowly, "Not really…at least, not in the way you're thinking."

The next girl in line snatched the mic away and asked breathlessly, "Then do you like Rukia? I read somewhere that she was also childhood friends with one of the band members of A.Q.E.S., so was that you?"

He only had time to say, "Um, no that was-" before the next girl in line grabbed the mic and said, "I think you're actually in love with Nemu," and then one after another, girls were fighting over the mic and giving their statements faster than Ichigo could keep up with.

"I heard you were in love with your manager!"

"I believe you have a crush on Loly!"

"There's no way you can't have feelings for Momo! She's so nice!"

"What about Riruka?"

"I don't think you're telling us the truth about Tatsuki!"

"Why don't you tell us?"

"You don't like Orihime, do you?"

"All right!"

Standing up and holding out his hands for silence, Shuhei successfully quelled the flood of questions and he said, "I'm sure that if any one of us had any sort of important information to share about our feelings that you would have heard about it by now."

With his signature, 'million yen' grin, Shuhei asked, "Does anyone else have a question?" to which the next three girls responded by declaring their undying love for Shuhei, which took his total up to a whopping eight.

The rest of the evening went by without another hitch and finally the performers were allowed to pile into their different chauffeured automobiles and go back to their residences. Unlocking the door to his own apartment, Ichigo released a sigh of relief that he no longer had to live at home with his dad and sisters. Even though he didn't want to be as far away as he could from them, it was nice to have room to stretch and relax after a hard day's work.

Stripping off his long sleeved shirt and changing into pajama bottoms, flopped down on the bed and pulled out his work-issued cell phone. Obviously, if someone really wanted to, they could hack into his password protected phone and such, but the studio was really good about making sure they protected their performers as best they could. Scrolling through the saved numbers on his phone, Ichigo found the one he was looking for, pressed the dial button and waited as the other phone rang.

After about two rings, there was a click and the voice he had been wanting to hear asked, "Hello?"

"Hey, you get home all right?"

There was a familiar laugh before the voice answered, "Of course I did, silly boy. Same as always."

Flipping over onto his back, Ichigo grinned as he said, "You can't blame me for wanting to check up on you, Orihime."

Orihime replied, "I guess not," and then she laughed again as she said, "I suppose that's one of the things I love most about you."

Ichigo coughed to cover his embarrassment before he said, "So, that song you did tonight…"

"What did you think?" Orihime asked with her voice half-excited, half-reluctant.

Taking a moment to think of the right words, Ichigo said, "Well, I thought it was…you know, I can't think of a really good word besides 'magical'."

His eyes became slightly unfocused as he remembered the performance and he said, "I've never heard you sing like that before…but I'd really like to hear you do it again."

"Well, maybe one day we can record a duet," said Orihime slowly.

"And sing it at someone's wedding," replied Ichigo with a grin.

"Like Rangiku and Gin's," said Orihime dreamily.

"Or maybe Renji and Rukia's."

"Renji and…oh, is he going to propose?!"

Chuckling, Ichigo said quickly, "Shh! Not so loud. We're not sure of anything yet, but the other day he came into rehearsal and I think I saw him stuff a small white box into his pocket, so…"

Ichigo could picture Orihime dancing around with delight as she tried to contain her squeals, "Oh, oh, oh! That would be so wonderful! They could get married somewhere really nice and we could all get together and come up with music for their wedding and then Byakuya would bring Rukia down the aisle and Renji would be trying not to cry because men with tattoos are not supposed to cry and then-"

"Hey, hey now," said Ichigo, "Don't go counting your chickens before they hatch. He still hasn't asked her yet."

With a deep sigh, Orihime tried to calm herself down as she replied, "I know…but it really would be nice, wouldn't it?"

With a smirk, Ichigo said cryptically, "Yeah, having a wedding would be nice…especially when you've found the right person."

Apparently catching on to his drift, Orihime was quiet for a while before she said, "You're right."

Not wanting to keep up the charade any longer, Ichigo said, "Orihime, we've only been dating for a few months, but I think we both know what we want out of life. We both have pretty stable jobs for what we do, so we could make a solid start in life together."

Staring up at the ceiling, Ichigo finished with, "I'm not asking you to marry me right now because that would be stupid to do over the phone," he listened to Orihime giggle for a moment before he said, "but I want you to know what my intentions are so that you're somewhat prepared with an answer for me."

Letting out a short sigh, Orihime said, "Then, while I can't officially answer your question just yet, all I'll say is this…bring tissues with you."

"Point taken," said Ichigo, "'Night, Orihime."

"Good night, Ichigo. I love you."

This time Ichigo's mouth stretched into a full blown smile as he said, "I love you too."

**Author's Note:**

I have no idea why Ichigo and Orihime as well as Renji, Rukia, Rangiku and Gin are in secret relationships or how they're managing to keep them a real secret, but they are, so...whatever.

As for the songs listed in here, I'll put them down here along with their artists in case you'd like to look up the songs and listen to them yourself. I'll list the songs in order of appearance:

1) Can Do by Granrodeo

2) Core Pride by Uverworld

3) JAP by Abingdon Boy School

4) OVERLAP by Kimeru

5) Ranbu no Melody by Sid

6) Sweet Romance by Mayumi Gojo

7) Minna Daisuki by Buono

8) Winter Bells by Mai Kuraki

9) Eternal Snow from Full Moon wo Sagashite

10) Hitohira no Hanabira by Stereopony

11) Zoetrope by Nagi Yanagi

12) Nee by Fujita Maiko

13) God Knows by Aya Hirano

As always, hope you enjoyed and send along any questions or comments you might have. :)


	6. Goodbyes

"Don't forget to be careful over there. You never know…so just…"

"Thank you, Tatsuki. I promise I'll be careful."

"Ahh! It's really happening! Darling Orihime is traveling to the ends of the earth where I won't be able to see her beautiful smile every day!"

"There, there Chizuru. It'll be all right."

"Me too, Orihime! I want a good-bye hug too!"

"Sure Keigo."

"Not on your life. Quit making such a scene."

"You're so mean, Uryu! Chad, help me out!"

"Umm…later, Orihime."

"Chad!"

"Put a sock in it, Keigo."

"Wah! You guys are all so-"

"Yeah, yeah we know. We're not here for you though."

"Umm…I need to get going."

"Yeah, I guess so. Have a safe trip, Orihime."

"Thank you, Ichigo. Good bye."

"Good bye."

* * *

Letting out a groan, Ichigo turned over to pick up what looked like a cell phone from his night stand. Flipping it open, he let out a growl of frustration as he realized that he had picked up the wrong device…it was his actual cell phone. Sitting up, Ichigo slammed his phone down and picked up the other device, checked it, thought about rolling over and going back to sleep, thought better of it, got out of bed and got himself ready for his 'night job' of sorts.

Night air whistled by his ears and seeped through his clothes so that if Ichigo had really been paying attention, he would have felt his body beginning to tense up in reaction to the cold. However, as usual, because his head was full of hot air needing to find a vent, Ichigo subconsciously assumed that the rest of his body was just fine.

Arriving at his destination, Ichigo's practiced eyes scanned the ground below in the space of a few milliseconds. He counted four Hollows all together each of varying sizes, but he barely noticed that anymore. Seeing the Hollows' prey was a pair of ghosts, Ichigo noted their position so that he wouldn't accidentally hit them with Zangetsu or something and went to work. Each of the Hollows barely had enough time to scream before they were dispatched and then Ichigo turned unceremoniously to perform the Konsho on one spirit (what Ichigo thought was a touch on the forehead was actually more of a punch, but the spirit didn't have time to protest before they dissolved) and then reached forward to do the same for the other spirit.

However, before Ichigo got a chance, the second spirit pointed and shouted, "Look out!" which was barely enough of a warning for Ichigo to duck and jump before he felt something slam into his back.

Skidding across the ground, Ichigo instinctively turned and slashed upwards, which saved him from getting completely flattened by a long tentacle-like appendage. Not that he was able to escape completely unscathed as the appendage slammed forcefully into his sword, which caused his elbow to scrape against the asphalt, but the damage definitely could have been worse.

Anger flaring from the pain of his elbow, the sting of his bruised pride and just frustration at something he couldn't quite name, Ichigo roared as he dealt the Hollow a fatal blow and then stood back and watched as it crumbled to dust. Turning around abruptly, Ichigo performed the final Konsho and watched the second soul dissolve into nothingness. He was really not in a good mood at the moment and his frown deepened as he sensed a familiar presence approaching.

Slinging Zangetsu over his shoulder, Ichigo growled, "I already took care of everything."

"I can see that," came Uryu's voice in his usual, condescending monotone, "However, I sensed that you might not be able to, so I couldn't very well stop and turn around now could I?"

Turning to glare at his 'frenemy', Ichigo retorted, "Get off my back already. I killed all the Hollows and I took care of the spirits all by myself."

Quirking an eyebrow, adjusting his glasses and giving Ichigo a look that said 'Are you really going to be that juvenile tonight?', Uryu replied, "Good for you," then looked pointedly at Ichigo's side and asked, "So what are you going to do about that?"

Looking down at his oozing wounds, Ichigo scowled more ferociously than before and snapped, "Take care of it when I get home. Why do you need to know?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Uryu crossed his arms and gave Ichigo a cryptic look as he said, "Just don't bite off more than you can chew. If you're seriously injured, there's only so much any of us can do for you."

Feeling something flare up inside his chest, Ichigo turned and stalked away from Uryu. If there was one thing Ichigo couldn't stand about Uryu, it was that the guy seemed to know exactly what to say to tick Ichigo off…because he was way too perceptive.

As he took off in the direction of his house, Ichigo gritted his teeth as he felt the wind sting against his skin. Obviously, there was no way Ichigo would have wanted her to come along and tend to his wounds because they were so minor…but then again, every time he went out to deal with Hollows lately it struck him as very strange that she didn't come running up, hair whipping behind her, to make sure that he was all right.

Ever since Orihime had left to study costume and set design at New York University, Ichigo had been taken by surprise more than once when he rediscovered that she was no longer around. Of course he had been there when she had left, he had seen her head towards the plane and everything, but it still hadn't quite registered with him that Orihime was gone.

When he would get together with his friends (whenever work, studying and Soul Reaper duties would allow him time to relax), Ichigo found it rather jarring when he realized that Orihime was not among them. At times like tonight, when he would rush off to fight Hollows, Ichigo found himself looking around afterwards to see if Orihime would come running up to make sure he was all right.

It was rather like when he lost his powers for over a year. Only this time, Ichigo couldn't put his finger on exactly why Orihime's absence affected him so. She was off doing and learning more about something that she enjoyed and wanted to do, while he was here doing his thing and going to college to be a doctor. Everything should be fine…but it wasn't.

With practiced ease, Ichigo jumped through his window and landed noiselessly in his room. After tending to his scrapes, Ichigo was once again in his body and trying to settle himself comfortably so that he could fall asleep. However, Uryu's comment only just now started to play through Ichigo's head and the ideas that began forming in his mind were rather unsettling.

While it was true that Orihime's contribution to fighting against the Hollows mostly centered around her ability to negate physical damage, Ichigo couldn't help but compare her to the glue that held everything together. Without her around, things had become decidedly boring and more irritating than usual.

For one thing, Orihime wasn't there to intervene between him and Uryu when the guy started to get on Ichigo's last nerve. Also, whenever Ichigo got together with everyone else, he couldn't help but feel that each of his friends would take turns giving him meaningful looks when he wasn't paying attention. As if they knew something he didn't and they borderline resented him for it. It drove him crazy, but whenever he would try and figure out whatever it was that they knew, every one of them would either change the subject or start talking to someone else.

As his mind continued to whir with ideas, Ichigo couldn't help wondering if Orihime was doing all right over in New York. While he was well aware that Orihime had lived on her own since she was twelve and that she had always been a smart, reliable and capable in her own way, he now found himself imagining Orihime getting herself into all sorts of trouble because she was also kind, trusting and a bit naïve at times.

Tatsuki had made Orihime promise to call at least once a week (if she had gone to college in Japan, then Tatsuki would have made it daily) and to email as often as possible so that Tatsuki wouldn't worry about her friend. If something major happened, Ichigo was sure Tatsuki would pass it along to the rest of them, but that still didn't mean that Orihime was completely safe on her own all the way over there. On the off chance that something major did come up, Ichigo wasn't sure how he was going to manage getting all the way over to New York in enough time to protect Orihime.

Turning on his side, Ichigo thought back to the day he had promised Orihime that he would protect her no matter what. Even though it had been several years ago, Ichigo still considered his promise binding. From what he could tell, Orihime didn't seem to mind, but took it as a sort of challenge to work harder on her own powers. In fact, that time she had saved him from Ginjou during Fullbringer training, Ichigo had been impressed at just how much Orihime had stepped up her game. Since then, they had both continued getting stronger and things had been going well…but now she wasn't around and Ichigo wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that.

Flipping onto his back and putting his hands behind his head, Ichigo stared blankly up at the ceiling. Would it be extremely weird for him to ask Tatsuki for Orihime's number? Probably. What if he talked to Kisuke about transporting him straight to New York for a short 'tour of duty' as a Soul Reaper…just to make sure everything was status quo? No, the cost of doing something like that would probably financially cripple Ichigo for the rest of his natural life and beyond. Plus, he cringed thinking of the oily, smug smile that would probably light up the shopkeeper's face when Ichigo proposed the idea. While Ichigo had seen evidence time and again that Kisuke never liked to show off all that he knew, the past few times that Ichigo had seen him, Ichigo could have sworn that Kisuke (along with the rest of the shop staff) gave Ichigo the same knowing glances Tatsuki and the others did when they thought Ichigo wasn't paying attention.

With his thoughts still whirring at a break-neck speed, Ichigo was not sure when he finally was able to fall asleep. However, in some ways, he felt as though he hadn't gotten any at all from the way his head pounded and his eyes refused to open the next morning.

The next few weeks passed by in much the same way, with Ichigo going through the same routine of wake up, go to class, maybe take care of a few Hollows here and there, feed himself whenever he got the chance, deal with irritating people, do his homework, go to his job and get sleep when he could…not necessarily in that order. Before he realized it, Ichigo took a close look at a calendar and saw that Christmas Eve was the following week.

"Finally," said Ichigo under his breath, "A break from something."

Apparently, he had spoken too soon since he felt his 'not-really-a-cell-phone' device vibrate in his pocket. Rolling his eyes and groaning, Ichigo got himself ready and raced across town to deal with the annoying bunch of Hollows that were rampaging through the middle of the shopping district. When he arrived on-site, Ichigo saw that this time Uryu had beat him and was already shooting his Reishi arrows at the charging Hollows around him. Clasping Zangetsu's hilt, Ichigo caught a Hollow between the eyes and cut clean through so that the Hollow began dissolving and Ichigo feet hit the pavement. The next instant, Ichigo turned and slashed out at another Hollow coming in on his left.

Subconsciously as Ichigo continued taking down Hollows, he noted that all the humans seemed to believe that there was some sort of earthquake due to all the shaking the Hollows were creating, so he didn't have to worry about protecting any of them. The Hollows seemed endless, but Ichigo and Uryu went right on taking them down one at a time.

Ichigo had just started to get into a 'groove' when he heard a voice calling out to 'Watch out!' Not being able to do anything at the moment since Zangetsu was momentarily clamped between the jaws of a tiger-like Hollow, Ichigo instinctively braced himself for impact and a split second later, a huge object slammed into him from behind and sent him rolling head over heels about twenty feet. Rising to his feet, Ichigo felt his blood boil and used the pain from his scrapes and bruises to help fuel that rage. The next second, Ichigo's jaw slackened in disbelief as he saw something appear before him that just couldn't be right: a golden, transparent, triangular shield.

For a moment or two, Ichigo's brain refused to function properly as he just stood there and stared uncomprehendingly at the shining object in front of his. Then, the shield shuddered as a Hollow crashed headlong into it and shattered the thing into tiny, shiny fragments. Automatically, Ichigo's body leapt back into action while his mind tried sluggishly to process what he had just witnessed. Too late, Ichigo saw another Hollow jump at him on his left, so all Ichigo could do was once again brace for impact and allow himself to skid across the pavement until he came to a stop. This time, when Ichigo rose to his feet, his eyes scanned the area until he saw what he had been looking for…or more accurately, who he was looking for.

His mind had to be playing tricks on him, because there was no way Ichigo could be seeing her running towards him. She was still in New York. She had to be. And yet, his eyes connected with hers as she ran towards him and Ichigo saw that familiar look in her eyes. One of concern for his well-being mixed together with determination to do what she could for him.

Well, hallucination or not, Ichigo would figure out for sure later, but for the time being he forced himself back into fighting mode since he saw a pair of Hollows charging at Orihime from behind. With two ferocious blows, Ichigo dealt with the pair before moving on to the rest of the pack. He wanted to finish this up quickly so that he could move onto more important things.

Finally, the last Hollow was dispatched and Ichigo found himself leaning against Zangetsu so that he could catch his breath. Hearing a familiar voice calling his name, Ichigo turned his head to see Orihime running straight towards him as she reached up to clasp her hibiscus clips. Even though Ichigo had seen Orihime make such a gesture countless times before, a thought struck him with such force that he had to blink a few times to process what had just occurred to him. In the Japanese 'language of the flowers' the hibiscus flower stood for 'gentleness' and if there was one word that could describe Orihime almost exactly, it would be that one.

His idea was further solidified in his mind when Orihime came racing up to him and he said automatically, "Are you all right?" which caused her to smile at him gently as her eyes filled with tears.

Summoning her Soten Kisshun, Orihime covered Ichigo in its 'healing' field as she said, "I'm sorry I distracted you. That Hollow came up behind you and…well, I'm sorry."

Something within Ichigo's chest ruptured at those words and before he could stop himself, he heard himself say, "I could care less about all that."

When Orihime's eyes flew up to connect with his, Ichigo demanded, "When did you get back? Why are you back so soon? Did you tell anyone you were coming? How did you know to come over here?"

"Slow down, Ichigo, would you?" came Uryu's voice from behind Ichigo, "You're acting as if you didn't want Orihime to come back home for the holidays."

"I…what?" asked Ichigo in confusion.

Fortunately, Orihime is the one who responded with, "In America, they take at least two weeks off of school in December to celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve, so I…decided to come home for about a week and…well…"

"Oh," said Ichigo lamely, "I see."

Fidgeting with her hairpins, Orihime said quickly, "In answer to your questions, I only just arrived at the airport a few hours ago and was spending time with just Tatsuki for a bit. I thought Tatsuki would have told everyone that I was coming home for the holidays, but I guess…"

"Well, she told most everyone," said Uryu carelessly, "But since Ichigo's been so busy lately and grumpy, we thought we'd keep it from him, just to see how he'd react."

Ichigo turned his head to see Uryu adjust his glasses in order to try and hide the grin starting to lift up the corners of his mouth as he said, "And I must say that I have never seen Ichigo looking so lost and confused before."

Stalking towards his aggravating friend, Ichigo ground out, "One more word…say one more word…"

With a look that said 'And you'll do what?' Uryu adjusted his collar and said carelessly, "Well, now that this mess has been taken care of, I have things to do, so if you'll excuse me…" before he turned and walked away.

Ichigo's fists unclenched when he heard Orihime say uncomfortably, "Umm…Ichigo, I'm sorry about all this."

Giving Orihime a confused frown, Ichigo asked, "What do you have to be sorry for?"

Keeping her eyes cast downward for a few seconds, Orihime slowly raised them again as she answered, "Well, now I know why you looked so startled to see me…and why you seemed to be struggling to focus after that Hollow hit you. It's my-"

Placing his hands flat against the golden dome, Ichigo said forcefully, "If you think for one second that my getting hurt had anything to do with you, then you're dead wrong."

Leaning his weight against his hands, Ichigo continued, "I've been a little off my game lately when it comes to Hollows, so quit doing that thing you do where you blame yourself for everything. It was my fault that I got knocked silly, so…what's so funny?"

Trying to hide her growing smile behind her hand, Orihime giggled helplessly, "You're inability to follow your own advice," when Ichigo gave her yet another bewildered expression, Orihime explained, "You tell me not to blame everything on myself, and yet that's exactly what you just did to yourself."

Reaching up to rub the back of his neck, Ichigo felt the corner of his mouth quirk upwards as he said, "Yeah…I guess it is a bit of the pot calling the kettle black or whatever. Am I good to go yet?"

Seeming to snap back to reality, Orihime said briskly, "Oh yes," and as the petals reappeared on her hair pins, she said brightly, "All better now."

Replacing Zangetsu behind his back, Ichigo stretched out his arms and said, "Good as new, just like always," then he asked, "What are you going to do now?"

Orihime frowned in confusion for a moment before her expression cleared and she shrugged her shoulders, saying vaguely, "Not really sure. I think Tatsuki planned some sort of dinner thing with everyone, but that isn't for another couple of hours so…I guess I'll just wander around until then or something."

"How about you come back to my house for a bit?"

The words were out of Ichigo's mouth before he really stopped to think about what he was asking. The question really seemed to take Orihime by surprise because Ichigo saw her face darken significantly and her hands waved in front of her as if she were trying to ward him off.

"N-n-n-no Ichigo! I'll be just fine wandering around on my own for a bit! I've been sitting on the plane for a very long time, so I'll just…"

In his peripheral vision, Ichigo saw bystanders beginning to emerge from various areas and some of them were giving Orihime very odd glances. Realizing that he was going to have to act with or without her consent if he was going to protect her from unnecessary ogling and possible questions, Ichigo reached out, grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him into a more secluded area.

As he expected, even though she followed along behind him willingly enough, Orihime protested, "What are you doing?"

In answer to Orihime's question, Ichigo quickly lifted Orihime into his arms and took off towards his house. While it was definitely possible that someone might see Orihime's figure seeming to fly through thin air, Ichigo figured that if he did his best to stay out of sight that it might work out all right, which was why he hadn't taken off in the middle of the shopping plaza.

Once they were moving, Ichigo noticed that Orihime had frozen in place, so he looked down to make sure she was all right. The expression on her face was one Ichigo had never seen before and he couldn't quite tell what it meant so he asked her if she was all right. Her only response was to squeak, nod and purposefully stare down at her hands. Not sure what to make of that response, Ichigo decided that it could wait for the time being as he touched down outside the clinic and set Orihime carefully back on her feet.

Hearing Orihime's voice say something, Ichigo turned to her and asked, "What was that?"

Jumping slightly, Orihime seemed to find it difficult to meet his eyes as she said quietly, "I said thank you, but you really didn't need to do that…"

Opening the gate, Ichigo turned and said firmly, "I wouldn't have done it if I didn't want to. Come inside already."

Ducking her head, Orihime quickly stepped inside the gate and followed Ichigo through the front door. As Orihime took off her shoes rather hesitantly, Ichigo announced that he had arrived home before running up the stairs to retrieve his body. When he came back downstairs, Ichigo was glad to see that both Karin and Yuzu had come to the front hall to welcome Orihime.

"It's so good to see you again, Orihime!" said Yuzu pleasantly, "Seems like forever ago when you would come over to help Big Brother and hang out and everything."

Giving Yuzu a warm smile in return, Orihime replied slowly, "You're right. Yet on the other hand, it feels like only yesterday."

Leaning against the banister, Karin asked, "So how are things for you over in New York?"

Clapping her hands, Yuzu cried, "That's right! I remember hearing that you traveled to America for college!"

Orihime's smile brightened as she answered, "Yes, it has been a wonderful opportunity for me. My classmates are so helpful and I enjoy most of my professors," with a slight grimace, Orihime said, "There is one professor though who…how do I say this…doesn't seem to really like me."

Coming down the stairs, Ichigo frowned as he asked, "Why's that?"

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Orihime laughed nervously and said, "I'm not really sure. But I'm sure that everything will be fine in the end, so you don't need to worry about me."

Not liking the way Orihime was talking, Ichigo walked over until he was towering over her, crossed his arms and asked, "What did he do?" and when Orihime seemed to be trying to think of a way to get out of answering the question, he added more steel to his tone as he said simply, "Orihime, tell me."

Turning around and pressing her fingertips together, Orihime spoke so softly that Ichigo almost didn't catch the whispered words. But what he did hear sounded so unbelievable that he nearly shouted at Orihime and just managed to catch himself.

"He did what?" Ichigo growled.

Whirling around, Orihime held out her hands and said hastily, "It was nothing! I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it! Everyone in the class was laughing, so I'm sure it was just a harmless-"

This time Ichigo couldn't check himself before he yelled, "Harmless?! You call deliberately poking fun at someone else because of their appearance harmless?! He has no right to call you a hopeless airhead whose…" here he nearly choked on the words but managed to get them out, "boobs are bigger than her brain. Just let me find out who this creep is and I'll-"

Feeling someone push him back a couple steps, Ichigo looked down to see Karin stepping between him and Orihime as she said forcefully, "That's enough. You're right that the guy had no right to say those things, but just calm down, all right?"

Taking a few deep breaths, Ichigo managed to compose himself enough to look back at Orihime and ask, "Does Tatsuki or anyone else know about this?"

When Orihime shook her head, Ichigo couldn't help but feel a little better that he now knew something none of the others did as he asked, "Has he done anything like this to anyone else?" again Orihime shook her head so Ichigo asked, "Has he ever done it again?" and when Orihime shook her head a third time, Ichigo conceded, "Then I guess that's it for the time being…unless he decides to do it again."

Shaking her head furiously, Orihime said quickly, "Oh no, he won't do it again because I don't need to take any more of his classes. I already checked."

Cutting in, Yuzu asked, "But Orihime, I'm sure what Ichigo would really like to know is why the professor would say something so unkind. I can't think of one reason why he would say that to you."

Looking down at her hands, Orihime said quietly, "Well, during one of the lectures, he was talking so fast and using a lot of words that I couldn't understand, so I raised my hand and asked if he would please slow down and explain what certain words meant. That seemed to irritate him and when some of the students started to snicker, that's when he said…you know…"

Raising her eyes imploringly to Ichigo, Orihime hastened to explain, "But I'm sure he was just irritated because there was so much material to cover or maybe something happened to someone he loved and he was really stressed out about it or…"

"Or maybe he's just a big jerk who shouldn't be a professor if he can't handle people asking him legitimate questions," said Ichigo pointedly before he let out a sigh and stalked towards the living room as he said, "But anyways, we shouldn't have kept you standing in the front hall. Come in and sit down."

Settling herself gingerly on a chair opposite the couch where Ichigo sat, Orihime asked, "So…what have you been up to?"

Leaning back against the couch, Ichigo scratched his head and said, "Much the same as ever. Work, school and fighting Hollows whenever I need to," giving her a no-nonsense look, Ichigo asked, "Has anyone else given you trouble over there or said anything to you?"

"No, Ichigo," answered Orihime, "I get along with most everyone over there, just like here."

From her tone, Ichigo could tell that she was anxious to move on to another topic, so Ichigo asked her what she enjoyed most over there, which caused Orihime to brighten up significantly as she described the fascinating things she had learned about in her classes and all the different kinds of food she had tried out. She went into great detail on the so called Chinese restaurants over there and how it wasn't at all like the kind of food the Chinese would probably eat, but yet tasty anyway. How people didn't find it weird at all that she would order pizza with banana peppers, pineapple and ham on top or dip her French fries in ranch sauce (something she had tried when she went out for hamburgers with one of her classmates and loved it). On and on she went and she was so good at giving details that Ichigo was easily able to picture in his head everything that she was talking about.

Eventually, Ichigo glanced at his watch and asked, "What time did you say Tatsuki had planned to have dinner?"

Looking at her own watch, Orihime jumped slightly and exclaimed, "It's supposed to be in twenty minutes! I need to-"

"Don't you mean we," Ichigo put emphasis on the word, "need to get going?"

Blinking a few times, Orihime said, "I guess it would make sense if you came with me since you didn't seem to know anything about it before."

Giving her a grin, Ichigo said, "Just let me grab a sweater and I'll be right down."

As they strolled along the sidewalk, Ichigo asked enough questions to keep the conversation going, but mostly he was content to listen as Orihime continued to relate all the stories she had stored up. Every so often, Ichigo noticed that she would realize just how much she was talking and became self-conscious, so he would comment on something and off she would go again.

When he actually stopped to think about it, Ichigo was surprised that he really enjoyed spending time with her like this: one on one. Normally, they would be with all their friends, and while Ichigo cared about his friends deeply, he couldn't deny that they easily got on his nerves. Most of the time, he knew they did it (especially Keigo) just to get attention or a reaction out of him, but still…it was annoying. With Orihime, he found himself listening and grinning as she spoke.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo looked Orihime up and down. She had really matured since high school…well, duh she had, but it was more than just how much her body had developed (which made Ichigo's eye twitch as he thought about how Keigo and other bums were probably going to react when they saw her). In just a few months, Orihime had become a woman. Wait, had he really just thought that? But the more he thought about it, the more he came to realize that that was exactly it. Ichigo could no longer see her as the high school girl who would say odd things (like saying Uryu's name because it was so interesting), had unusual taste in food at times and thought more of others than herself. She still did those things, but it wasn't the same. She had become a woman and once again, Ichigo wasn't sure just how he felt about that.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Orihime paused and Ichigo noticed her giving him a furtive glance. She seemed reluctant to enter and Ichigo was pretty sure that she was beginning to blush again.

Not letting that faze him any, Ichigo reached over to pull open the door as he said, "After you," and as he looked down, Ichigo clearly saw that Orihime actually was blushing before she ducked her head and scampered inside.

Once he had stepped inside, Ichigo quickly scanned the room and easily located Tatsuki's signature spiky hair and Keigo's raucous laughter. Walking along behind Orihime, Ichigo was confused to see Tatsuki call out a greeting to Orihime before turning to Uryu to give him an 'I-can't-believe-you-were-right' expression. As Uryu adjusted his glasses and smirked in his usual way, Ichigo gave them both a frown that said 'what's-going-on'. Tatsuki's response was to smirk in a way that Ichigo didn't understand before turning her attention back to Orihime.

Hugs and greetings were exchanged all around before everyone sat down to order and then start grilling Orihime for information about her time in New York. While Ichigo could tell that Orihime didn't prefer to be the center of attention, she nevertheless retold quite a number of stories she had already told Ichigo and even tossing in a few Ichigo hadn't heard yet. There was a brief moment when Ichigo thought Orihime was going to slip and relay the moronic and cruel comment from the professor, but she checked herself and instead talked about how she enjoyed learning about making costumes look authentic while not using the most expensive materials.

Sitting next to Orihime, Ichigo was able to continue observing her in yet another aspect. She was patient and friendly with anyone and everyone. Even though almost everyone who crossed her path was stunned and smitten by her physical appearance, Orihime didn't thrive on their attention. If anything, she didn't seem to notice the admiration at all. Orihime was most vibrant and vivacious when talking about everyday things with her friends or praising the things they accomplished.

Thinking back, Ichigo found it strange that he hadn't thought about just how much Orihime's smile and laugh affected those around her. In the time he'd known her, Ichigo now thought it a little strange that he had mostly been affected by those times when she'd been crying. After almost every battle he'd had in those early days of becoming a Soul Reaper, Orihime had usually been one of the first people at his side, asking if he was all right and then bursting into tears when he said he was fine. It had never struck him as odd before, but that he could remember, Orihime had never done that for anyone else…just him. Could there be something in that? One more thing Ichigo would have to mull over to figure out just how he felt about it.

At that moment, Ichigo's ears perked up as he heard Mizuiro ask casually, "So Orihime, have you found a boyfriend over there in New York yet? I can't imagine you at least getting some admirers."

Ichigo's head turned sharply to look at Orihime and he was surprised to see her begin to fidget uncomfortably and before he could stop himself, Ichigo asked, "Is that true?"

Jumping slightly and her blush deepening even more than before, Orihime looked resolutely at Mizuiro as she answered, "No, I haven't found a boyfriend over there. There are lots of nice young men over there and I've joined a study group with some of them…but there's no one special I'd want to date or anything."

Reaching over to pat her friend's shoulder, Tatsuki said sympathetically, "That's very sensible. However, you can't just waste your life waiting for love to come to you, you know. Sometimes you have to let go and move on with your life."

If Ichigo didn't know any better, he would have said that Tatsuki's words held a meaning that everyone at the table understood except for him. He also couldn't be sure, but it seemed as though the words really affected Orihime deeply.

Before he could stop himself, Ichigo heard his voice say, "There have been plenty of people over the years who have managed to live quite happily on their own. Being in love or in a relationship doesn't guarantee that you will be happy for the rest of your life and sometimes it just brings more pain and hardship than it's worth. Sometimes you can do more with your life when you're not tied down by marriage and romantic relationships."

As soon as he said those words, Ichigo knew that he had said something really, really, really terrible. Everyone at the table besides Orihime looked at him as if he had grown an extra head and horrible, gruesome fangs. Looking at Orihime, Ichigo felt the food in his stomach churn as he sensed that he had just said something that hurt her deeply and that she was trying to cover it up.

Just as he was about to open his mouth and try to fix whatever he had broken, Ichigo felt his 'not-a-cell-phone' vibrate. Without another word, Ichigo rose, left the restaurant and was zipping through the streets towards where the Hollows were rampaging less than two minutes later. As he went, Ichigo replayed what he had said and how it had affected Orihime over and over in his mind. Ichigo promised himself that after he had dealt with the Hollows that he would go back to apologize and try to fix things with Orihime. Hopefully, he would also be able to figure out why it had hurt her so much, but Ichigo forced himself to remember that she didn't have to confide in him if she didn't want to.

Ichigo had only just finished dispatching the two Hollows when he felt his device vibrating again. With a growl, Ichigo took off at an even faster pace than before since he had more important things to do tonight then just dealing with Hollows. When he arrived on the spot, Ichigo barely had time to register what each of the Hollows looked like before he had taken care of them. However, as he finished off the last one, Ichigo sensed a presence approaching and he almost couldn't believe it. Landing on the pavement, Ichigo turned to see Orihime running towards him and for the second time that day, he nearly didn't believe that what he was seeing was actually happening.

Replacing Zangetsu, Ichigo was about to speak when Orihime asked quickly, "You're not hurt, are you?"

Shaking his head, Ichigo said, "No. Orihime I-"

Giving Ichigo a smile that made his stomach turn again, Orihime cut him of saying in a fake, bright tone, "That's good to hear. I guess I'll go back and join the others then."

As Orihime turned, Ichigo saw something in her eyes that made his instincts take over. Without a word, he flashed next to her and gently but firmly pulled her around to face him.

At first, Orihime tried to pull herself away while keeping her face averted and saying in that same tone, "Please let me go, Ichigo. I need to get back."

"Look at me, Orihime."

Listening to his voice, Ichigo was rather surprised just how softly he said the words, but they seemed to go through Orihime like a shock. Her shoulders slumped in defeat and she raised her face to look at him. She was crying, but it wasn't the same as all the other times he had seen her cry. Ichigo had seen Orihime physically and emotionally crushed by others while he had struggled to protect her. This time, he was the one who had wounded her and the impact of that revelation felt like a punch to his already queasy innards.

Not knowing what else to do, Ichigo said, "Help me, Orihime. I need to understand. Tell me what's wrong."

Blinking furiously as if that would erase the tears covering her lashes and staining her cheeks, Orihime shook her head adamantly, "No, you've done nothing. It's my fault for overreacting like this and making you feel guilty."

Gripping her arm a little tighter, Ichigo tried to reign in his frustration as he said, "Don't do that! I know I said something horrible and everyone else seems to know what it is! Stop trying to hide whatever it is from me! I care about you the same as all my friends!"

The word 'friend' seemed to spur Orihime into action. With a strength born of desperation, Orihime wrenched her arm out of Ichigo's grip and started to run away. Because her vision was clouded, Ichigo saw the danger before she did, but all he could do at the moment is watch as she caught her foot in a pothole and lurch painfully towards the sidewalk. The next instant, Ichigo flashed to her side and scooped her against his chest before sitting down hard on the pavement. Ichigo heard Orihime gasp in pain and looked down to see her reach feebly towards her foot when he reached out to stay her hand.

"Let me look at it," Ichigo stated and without waiting for permission began to gently inspect Orihime's foot.

After a few moments, Ichigo said calmly, "I don't think it's broken, but I think you sprained it pretty bad. Put your arms around my neck and I'll…" his voice died away as he took in Orihime's slumped, injured and totally defeated demeanor.

Finally, Orihime raised her eyes and she said, "Ichigo, I need you to leave me alone."

Not expecting this turn of events, Ichigo stared at her as if she had lost her mind as he said, "I'm not going to leave you here helpless with a sprained ankle."

Shaking her head, Orihime replied, "It's not just about my ankle, Ichigo. I mean everything. You need to go away and let me be."

Sensing that she was at her limit and about to crack, Ichigo pressed, "Why should I?"

One, two, three, four heartbeats and then Orihime let it all out.

"Because I can't take it anymore! I've lived with this uncertainty and hopelessness for too long already and I need to move on and I can't do that if I have to face you! You made it quite clear tonight that you would rather live your life without any attachments other than friendship and your family so I need time to resolve myself to that! If you don't leave me alone, then I won't be able to let go!"

When she had finished her tirade, Ichigo watched her breathing hard for a few moments before he saw the realization of what she had just done begin to dawn on her. In the few seconds he had before she would shut him out again, Ichigo thought furiously to try and piece together this confusing puzzle.

A split second before Orihime opened her mouth, Ichigo heard his voice say, "You're in love with me."

At first, Ichigo had no idea where that had come from, but when he saw Orihime's mouth gaping slightly and the look in her eyes summoning up a fresh bout of tears, Ichigo realized that he had hit the bulls-eye. Now, the pieces began falling into place and Ichigo couldn't believe he could have been so stupid and blind for over six years. No wonder Uryu and Tatsuki and nearly everyone had acted that way…he would have done the same thing in their place.

"You love me," repeated Ichigo, "and you've suffered for so long because I was too stupid to notice."

Reaching out to place his hand over Orihime's, Ichigo went on, "You could have given up on me at any time before this and I probably wouldn't have noticed at first…but things would never be the same between us and I would notice, yet not be able to figure out why things were different."

Squeezing her hand, Ichigo said, "However, now that I know, things aren't going to be the same anyway."

"Ichigo," said Orihime softly, "you aren't under any obligation to do anything. I'm sorry I-"

"Don't you dare apologize," Ichigo interrupted, "I'm the one who's at fault here. I'm the one who's hurt you."

A thought struck Ichigo and he raised his gaze to look into Orihime's watery, red-rimmed eyes as he said resolutely, "When we were fifteen, I promised that I would protect you. That I wouldn't let anyone hurt you again. Now I see that I haven't kept that promise and ignorance is no excuse for going back on a promise."

Rubbing his free hand on the back of his neck, a part of Ichigo's mind thought about just how sappy he sounded at the moment, but he didn't stop and said, "Heaven knows what you see in me and I know now that I can be extremely thick-headed and clueless about a lot of things when it comes to you. I do still believe that loving someone and marrying them does not guarantee you'll be happy for the rest of your life. My mom and dad are proof of that."

Adjusting himself so that he was on her right side, Ichigo said, "However, I'd be worse than a fool to let you go now. I'll be honest and say that I don't think I love you as much as you love me right now," when Orihime's eyes widened in shock and confusion, Ichigo gently pulled her towards himself as he finished with, "but I'd be lying if I said that while you were away, I didn't notice your absence and think about you at least once a day."

Orihime's response was to wrap her arms around his neck, bury her face against his shoulder and cry harder than ever. As he stood up with Orihime nestled safely in his arms, he felt as though an enormous weight fell off his shoulders and heart to be left on the sidewalk as he sped back towards the restaurant.

When he arrived, Ichigo was not surprised to see his friends gathered outside in a huddle. Now that he knew about Orihime's feelings, he could almost hear them calling him an 'insensitive brute' and a 'spineless lout' and maybe a few other things. He also noticed Uryu give them all a kind of signal as Ichigo came towards them with Orihime in his arms, which caused them all to turn and watch him approach with varying degrees of disbelief and borderline disgust in their expressions.

Ignoring them all, Ichigo walked straight to Chad and said, "Hold Orihime for a moment," which Chad did without comment.

As Orihime was passed off, Tatsuki stepped in front of Ichigo and all but growled, "I'm doing my best not to hit you right now, but if you say one word I don't like I swear I'll knock you from here to next week. Explain. Now."

Steadily returning Tatsuki's stony glare, Ichigo said, "Orihime came to find me and she twisted her ankle. I talked to her and now I'm going to get in my body so I can take her home. We have a lot to talk about."

Pushing past Tatsuki to retrieve his body from a back alleyway, Ichigo finished rolling his shoulders and adjusting himself inside his body as he emerged again and Tatsuki seemed to recover herself enough to demand, "What makes you think you can treat Orihime like that? Haven't you hurt her enough already?"

Seeming to realize that she'd said too much, Tatsuki glanced over at Orihime to see how she would react, but Orihime was looking at Ichigo with an expression that was still trying to process what was going on. Like she was trying to make herself believe that this was actually happening.

Walking over to Chad, Ichigo held out his arms to receive Orihime again and as he adjusted his grip so that she would be comfortable, Ichigo said with a grin, "I've asked you before if I could walk you home and right now you're really not in a position to refuse."

Sensing that someone was about ready to throttle him, Ichigo said, "However, it would be rude of me not to ask you one more time. So, Orihime, will you let me walk you home?"

Instead of answering him, Orihime turned to Tatsuki and said, "Thank you for looking out for me, Tatsuki…but Ichigo and I do have some things to talk about…by ourselves."

Looking back at Ichigo, Orihime asked uncertainly, "Right?"

"As long as it's what you want."

A moment's pause and then Orihime barely whispered, "More than anything."

* * *

"I can't believe two weeks went by so quickly and you're getting ready to leave again."

"I know Tatsuki, but remember that universities in America have summer vacation for at least two months and I'm not planning on taking summer classes, so I'll be back before you know it."

"Yeah. You take care of yourself over there."

"I will, Uryu. Oh, and thank you for the afghan! It'll be so comfortable to wrap up in on those long nights when I have to stay up and study."

"My pleasure. I hope you liked the colors I chose?"

"M-hm. I've always loved red, blue and black together, especially those vibrant colors."

"My darling, adorable Orihime! It feels like it'll be an eternity before I see you again!"

"Aww, Chizuru. I'm sure the time will go by quickly."

"Orihime, I want a hug too!"

"Not on your life, Keigo."

"Darn it, Ichigo! Why won't you let me give one of my good friends a 'don't-forget-about-me-while-you're-gone' hug? You always do this!"

"Ichigo, I'm sure just one hug couldn't hurt…could it?"

"…Fine."

"Yay! Come here, Orihime!"

"All right, you've gotten your hug, now let go."

"Aww! But I only just-"

"Now, Keigo."

"Man, and I thought he was protective before."

"What was that, Uryu?"

"Nothing really. You should probably finish up or Orihime will be late."

"…Orihime?"

"Yes?"

"If you try to hide things from me, I'll know and I'll come over there right away."

"Ichigo, what are you-"

"Tatsuki, I'm talking to my girlfriend here."

"…I understand, Ichigo."

"If you're in trouble or if anyone hurts you over there, call me anytime. I don't care if it's the middle of the night or whatever."

"I will, Ichigo. And Ichigo?"

"Yes?"

"…I love you."

"…I love you too."

While it wasn't an original concept for two people to kiss each other good-bye at the airport, for that to be the first real kiss Ichigo and Orihime shared in their newly-formed relationship made it quite unforgettable.

**Author's Note:**

And now there was only one part left...man am I a horrible procrastinator...

Anyway, while this is a part of my one-shots for Ichihime Week, it is also a belated birthday present requested by my very good friend Magdalena88/AngelusAmy. She asked me to write a story inspired by the songs "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" from the musical _My Fair Lady_, "Do I Love You because You're Beautiful?" from the Rogers and Hammerstein version of _Cinderella_ and the song "Arms" by Christina Perri (actually, I threw the last one in because I love it so, so, so much...maybe when I have more time I'll do that song again because I love it so much). So, if you go back to the beginning of the story and listen to the songs in that order, you'll kind of see the progression I went through as the story went on.

Is this story cheesy? Absolutely. Did I probably make some mistakes because it was so long and I was anxious to finally get it posted? Most likely. Do I hope that Ichigo's realization of Orihime's feelings was presented in a plausible way? Of course. Was it fun to write anyway? Yep!

This is probably one of the longest one-shots I've ever written...actually, let me go check on that...from the looks of it only 'Union to Separation' is in the same league (not quite sure how I feel about that), so we'll have to see what the next and final one-shot is like.

After this and once I've finished up 'Passion' continued on with 'Hearts' and 'Music of Angels', there is a possibility that I will take on the Ichihime Week sent out by ChiisanaHoshi on Tumblr and dA...we'll see how that goes.

All right, I'm done talking now. Hope you liked this and Happy Belated Birthday my dear, dear friend! :)


	7. Happy Endings

"I'm home."

As he bent over to remove his shoes and set down his briefcase, Ichigo didn't notice anything amiss at first. However, after a few moments, he froze in place and slowly raised his head, listening intently.

"Orihime? Are you here?"

When there was still no response, Ichigo got up and started stalking through the house, trying not to let his heart race and yet preparing himself for just about anything. However, it is nearly impossible for one to actually prepare themselves for the unknown, which was the case here.

Ichigo found his wife sitting with her face buried in her arms that were leaning against her drawn up knees. Trying to assess the scene before him, Ichigo saw various books, manga and DVD cases strewn on the floor around Orihime. Looking back at Orihime, Ichigo felt his heart lurch when he realized that she seemed to be sobbing her heart out over something. As far as he could tell, Orihime wasn't hurt physically, but he approached her carefully just to be sure.

Reaching out and gently laying his hand on Orihime's shoulder, Ichigo began, "Orihime, are you all-Oof!"

The next instant, Ichigo was knocked backwards into the couch and Orihime latched herself to his middle and started wailing in complete agony. Rubbing her face into his shirt, Ichigo thought she was trying to tell him something, but he couldn't make out the muffled and slightly garbled words.

Wrapping his arms around Orihime, Ichigo said in a low rumble, "It's all right, Orihime. Tell me what's wrong."

Lifting her face from his shirt and sitting up, Orihime stared at Ichigo incredulously as she demanded, "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Uh…" was all Ichigo managed to get out before Orihime started berating him.

"I told you," said Orihime with lots of emphasis, "that I don't understand why it has to be this way! Why can't they be together? It's the ending everyone would have been happy with, but no! They had to go for drama!"

Blinking slowly, Ichigo asked pathetically, "Uh…who are we talking about here?"

Throwing up her hands, Orihime cried, "Syaoran and Sakura! Armand and Marguerite! Ivanhoe and Rachel! Minato and Kushina! Orpheus and Eurydice! Othello and Desdemona! And…and…so many more!"

Wracking his brain, Ichigo glanced around at the various forms of media scattered about and asked hesitantly, "Are you talking about tragic love stories?"

Orihime's response was to nod her head morosely as she blubbered, "It's just so sad! Why couldn't they have a 'happily ever after' just like everyone else? They loved each other so, so, so, so, so…"

Now that he had discovered the reason for his wife's distress, Ichigo felt a little better. But what exactly did she want him to do? And what had set Orihime off to begin with? She was always such an upbeat person that such a major shift in her personality made Ichigo more than a little uneasy.

Snapping his attention back to the problem at hand, Ichigo put his hands on Orihime's shoulders to stop her from intoning the word 'so' anymore and once he had her attention, Ichigo asked cautiously, "Orihime, I understand what you mean about them deserving a happy ending. You're absolutely rig-"

"No I'm not!" declared Orihime adamantly as she glared defiantly at Ichigo, "Not everyone can have a happy ending, so there needs to be stories to help people who have also lost someone they love more than anything!"

Not for the first time was Ichigo at a complete loss for what to say next. Hadn't he just agreed with her? What was he doing wrong? Why was Orihime acting like this? It didn't make any sense and Ichigo was starting to think that maybe he should retreat and plan out what his next strategy would be because obviously he was messing things up big time.

Before he could do anything else, Orihime picked up one of the mangas, flipped through a few pages and then started laughing as she said, "Look at this!" pointing to a specific panel, "Chrno and Rosette are bickering and working together so well. They are so adorable together."

Ichigo only had a split second to think, "Well, that was an unexpected mood shift," before Orihime was once again sobbing and clutching the book to her chest.

Looking imploringly at Ichigo, Orihime said in a watery voice, "I know they're only made-up characters, but I…but I…I can't help feeling so sorry for them. They should have been able to live long lives together fighting demons and everything, but…it's just so sad!"

Then Orihime sneezed and reached for a tissue…and everything clicked into place for Ichigo. Man, he wanted to kick himself for being so stupid.

Of course Orihime was hormonal right now…she was about two months pregnant. They'd only just found out a few days before, so Ichigo was still getting used to the idea. On top of that, Orihime had developed a nasty cold and was taking medicine for it, so that was probably exacerbating the problem even more.

Now that he had figured out the source of the problem, the only thing he had to do now was figure out what to do next with his temporarily emotionally unstable wife. What he wouldn't give for someone to come along or call so that he could ask them for advice. Then again, as Ichigo mentally went through his list of family and friends, he couldn't really think of anyone he would actually want to help him since they would probably make a huge deal out of the situation at Ichigo's expense.

So, mentally rolling up his sleeves, Ichigo asked carefully, "Orihime, have you eaten anything recently?"

Her tears momentarily stopped as she looked thoughtful for a few seconds before answering, "I wasn't very hungry earlier, so I only had a few crackers."

One of the reasons they had not discovered Orihime's pregnancy sooner was because rather than morning sickness, Orihime had simply lost her appetite. She would eat just fine when food was in front of her, but often Ichigo had come home to find Orihime looking listlessly at different ingredients laid out in front of her, trying to figure out what she would like to eat. To counteract Orihime's apathy towards food, Ichigo had simply taken to making something and telling Orihime to eat it and she did so without complaint.

For this situation, Ichigo chose his words carefully as he said, "Orihime, I'm going to make some dinner since I had an early lunch. Is there anything you would like me to make for you or just surprise you?"

Looking down at one of the manga, Orihime said thoughtfully, "Those bowls of ramen look really tasty…" turning her attention to a DVD case, "…and maybe some coffee to drink…" then looking up at Ichigo, Orihime asked solemnly, "…and would it be too much trouble to have some fruit with chocolate for dessert?"

Giving Orihime an indulgent smile, Ichigo leaned over to plant a kiss on her temple as he murmured into her hair, "Absolutely not. I'll even sprinkle a few red pepper flakes on some of them, just the way you like it."

Pulling back, Ichigo grinned down at Orihime before nodding towards the media containing various tragic love stories and saying, "It shouldn't take me long to make everything up, so why don't you choose a few movies to watch and we'll have a sort of marathon tonight."

A while later, Ichigo was sitting on the couch with Orihime curled up against his side, both of them eating bowls of ramen and watching Orihime's first movie choice. It was a copy of Franco Zeffirelli's rendition of Verdi's _Otello_.

Ever since he had been in grade school, Ichigo had enjoyed Shakespeare's works. The way in which Shakespeare would weave together the storyline and flush out characters in different ways, that had always appealed to Ichigo. When he had gone to see live performances, Ichigo would allow himself to be drawn into the story while in the theater and then later analyze how the performers had brought the character's to life through mannerisms and latching onto one or more parts of the character's personality and revealing it to the audience.

For Othello, Ichigo liked how in this version Placido Domingo performed showing his character's mental anguish as he slowly came to believe that his beautiful wife was betraying him and then the even greater pain when he realized the error of those beliefs. Placido's singing was exceptional as well, which made it all the more enjoyable…except for one thing. While sitting on the couch with Orihime snuggled up against him and watching the drama unfold on the screen, Ichigo felt something rise within him as he watched Othello fall for each and every one of Iago's carefully planned traps. Something he couldn't quite name at the moment, so he decided to ignore it for the time being.

As they reached the end of the third act where Othello completely disgraces Desdemona and casts her to the ground in a fit of fury, Ichigo finally was able to pinpoint the emotion swirling restlessly within him…Ichigo was furious at Othello. While the rational part of Ichigo's mind was telling him to quit being offended by a fictional character, the rest of him wanted to reach through the screen and give Othello a few good cracks to the jaw. In the back of his mind, Ichigo also knew that the point of a good tragedy was to show exactly how, when and why characters lost their possibility at 'happily ever after', but as he sat and watched Othello fling the woman he was supposed to love and protect to the floor, Ichigo realized why he was so irritated.

While Ichigo could sympathize with Othello over the pain of being betrayed by the one you love most, there was no excuse for not taking the time to go and talk to Desdemona and figure things out together. Othello had allowed himself to be led along and never once until the very end talked to Desdemona about what was going on with him. On her part, because she knew him so well, Desdemona had realized that something was wrong and had tried to confront him about it, but he had pushed her away in his fury. If Othello had taken that one simple step at the very beginning rather than letting Iago slowly poison his mind, everything would have worked out. It was a tragedy over the failure to have complete trust in your spouse and the ability to talk to one another candidly.

Looking over at Orihime nestled and calm against his chest, Ichigo felt his mind wander and begin to imagine himself in Othello's place. What if someone approached him and said that Orihime was cheating on him with someone else? How would he react? Would he become like Othello and cut himself off from Orihime without an explanation, or would he talk things out with her? And what if he ever found out that Orihime actually had cheated on him with someone else? What would he do then?

As all these questions passed through his mind, Ichigo pondered what he knew about Orihime. While it had taken him quite a while to finally see, now Ichigo was easily able to see the love Orihime had for him in everything she did. The innocent, mature and unselfish way she loved and respected him still took his breath away at times and his initial desire to protect her had been the foundation for his own love and respect for her. Sure, they had their disagreements, everyone did, but they were able to work through those disagreements together.

With those things in mind, Ichigo thought Orihime was rather like Desdemona and he was rather like Othello, so would he really turn out like Othello if the question of infidelity ever arose between them? Could he become so blinded and twisted that he would rather take Orihime's life than allow her to disgrace him any further?

Seeming to sense Ichigo's dark thoughts, Orihime looked up at him with her wide, beautiful gray eyes and asked softly, "Are you all right, Ichigo? You look troubled."

Before he could respond, Orihime reached out to draw his face to hers so she could kiss him gently and then say, "Why don't you lay down and let me massage your head. You've had a long day."

Not long before they had gotten married, Orihime had discovered that Ichigo liked to have his head massaged. However, no one had done it for him in years since Ichigo had only allowed Masaki to do it, but then Orihime had found out and would offer to do it whenever she sensed that Ichigo was troubled. When he had his head massaged, Ichigo felt as though the soft hands stroking his hair and kneading his scalp were slowly drawing out his negative emotions and thoughts. Yeah, it might be weird to some, which was why Ichigo had only ever allowed two people to do it for him.

Returning Orihime's kiss with a grin, Ichigo wordlessly turned around and carefully lowered himself until his head was resting in Orihime's lap. Closing his eyes, Ichigo felt himself shiver involuntarily when Orihime's fingers began working their magic.

As Orihime moved, Ichigo allowed his mind to take in the sound of her breathing, the opera music still going on while also allowing his mind to drift back to the scene he had encountered earlier when Orihime had completely thrown him for a loop. Her behavior then was unlike anything he had ever seen from her and for a while there, Ichigo hadn't known how to deal with her. Now, she was back to her normal self and Ichigo felt himself relax as well.

Then it hit him. That was exactly the difference between the tragic couple singing their hearts out on screen and about to die and the two of them sitting comfortably together on a couch. Rather than coming together in the midst of conflict, Othello and Desdemona had simply mourned their fate and wondered why it was happening to them. When Ichigo had been faced with the hormonal Orihime earlier, yeah he had been completely thrown for a loop, but he had determined to do what he could for his wife. And just now, Orihime had sensed there was something bothering him and rather than trying to force the issue, Orihime had offered him comfort and peace. While they could have lived their lives just fine separately, Ichigo knew that he wouldn't be able to accomplish nearly as much without Orihime by his side. They worked together to cover for the weaknesses of the other and that's what made their relationship stronger.

Opening his eyes to look up at his wife, Ichigo said softly, "I'm about ready for dessert. How about you?"

Letting out a sigh of contentment, Orihime said, "When you said you were going to dip fruit in chocolate and everything…I started craving it so badly."

Carefully raising himself up until he was eye-level with Orihime, Ichigo kissed her and then got up to fetch the desired treats. When he returned and was sitting next to his wife as she ate her dessert and cried over the tragic final arias of the opera, Ichigo munched on his dessert but decided to look at his wife and think about just how happy and fortunate he was…the list lasted through the next movie and kept on growing in length as the years went on.

**Author's Note:**

And so this finally comes to an end...and my personal deadlines for my other stories are pushed back once again.

Well, at this time, I'm just going to take a moment to thank everyone who has commented, favorited and/or followed this story so far. If I miss someone, I apologize in advance and just let me know so I can acknowledge you since your support has really meant a lot. Anyway, here's the list of everyone:

Bekas Strife, Fer-chan.7, Gwendlynn Rose, IchiHimelover86, Ichihime Kurosaki, Indigo Yamanaka, Kaori Yume, LilyPotter217, Pablo Hirunata, Saint Sita, SilverChaser17, W-Stars, foxfang27, jubulicious, naleah, racesa36, sapphirehimitsu, tsukihime4869, willy008, BleachAndKougaEqualHappiness, Renting, Sigoogle1105, TeenageDeadGirl, myanko92, Beth, Sariniste, nypsy, Abiding Angel, DeathBerryHime, Renji4eva, 4fireking and Arasia.

Thank you to each and every one of you. You guys are amazing. :)


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